Did you know…
Dallas has been purchasing renewable energy credits for several years, starting with 40% in FY 2012-2013, and increasing to 50% in both FY 2013-2014 and 2014-2015. Beginning in October of 2015, the City began purchasing enough renewable energy credits from wind power to cover 100% of the electricity used by City facilities. The City of Dallas uses over 720 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually, and utilizing wind power prevents over 550,000 tons of carbon dioxide from being emitted into the air. That is the same amount of carbon dioxide emitted by nearly 70,000 homes’ electricity usage every year (Source: EPA).
The City has implemented numerous programs that improve the energy efficiency of municipal operations and buildings throughout our community:
- Building new City facilities to LEED Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Certified levels
- Lighting
- Upgraded City Hall office and parking garage lighting to LED bulbs
- Upgraded taxiway lighting at Love Field to LED bulbs
- Upgrading school zone flashers to solar flashers
- Upgrading traffic lights to LED bulbs
- Encouraging green building construction by adopting and updating the Green Building Ordinance
- Click here for a copy of the ordinance
- Promoting ENERGY STAR commercial and residential buildings
- Creating Green Procurement program
- Promoting alternative commuting and transit with employees
- Purchasing electric vehicles and alternative fuel vehicles for the City fleet
- Conserving water (pumping water accounts for over half of the City’s electricity usage)
- Encouraging residents to conserve water and reducing average consumption
- Reducing water waste through the inspection of water mains
By reducing energy consumption of municipal buildings, private buildings, and vehicles, the City has made great strides in reducing the overall energy use, and has helped reduce our vulnerability to price fluctuations in the energy markets.
