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CitySmart Program 
The CitySmart program was developed by CLEAResult in response to a desire that utilities, initially in Texas, provide program support to local government entities such as: to aid them in meeting their environmental legislative and regulatory mandates; to become more energy efficient, thus lowering operating costs; to allow the governmental entities to become active participants in demand side measure (DSM) reductions; to improve the air and environmental quality in their jurisdictions. A Great Need
Municipalities within the State of Texas have a legislative charge under SB 5 to lower their energy and water consumption by 5% per year over a five-year period. This mandate began in 2003 and these local government entities have been reporting their energy and water consumption to SECO annually. There is little, if any, consensus in how these local government entities are to achieve this goal. One significant drawback is that these municipalities don’t have the resident expertise to benchmark their energy use patterns or identify appropriate energy and water conservation measures, and they lack capital to implement efficiency improvement projects, as well as facilities staffs that do not have the necessary influence with upper management to convince them to make the necessary investments in energy-saving and water-saving technologies. Due to their political decision-making process and common delays, many of these local governments have not been able to take advantage of the Commercial and Industrial Standard Offer programs.
Several municipalities that have heard of the Texas SCORE program have inquired as to whether such a program exists for city and local governments. We strongly feel that this program will have wide and enthusiastic acceptance by the local government entities. Officials with the City of Dallas and the City of Houston each have identified numerous energy and water efficiency projects that have been stalled in recent years. Knowing that there is tremendous interest in implementing energy and water efficiency measures, having access to a program that will provide the support and tools for these municipalities should facilitate wider adoption of these measures. Additionally, the Houston-Galveston air shed is in severe non-attainment for the Clean Air Act of 1990. The area must reduce NOx emissions by 200 tons per day; to date, only approximately 85 tons per day have been identified. The North Texas area is also under severe non-attainment and struggling to assemble a plan that will meet the EPA and TCEQ standards. The cities in North Texas, through the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG), have identified energy efficiency as a necessary component of an overall clean air strategy. A program focused on reducing energy and water consumption while offering expertise and financial incentives to municipalities is sorely needed for both financial and environmental reasons. |