Small Municipal Retrofits

Building Retrofit

• Municipality : City of Yale, MI
• Population : 1,966
• Governance : City Manager
• Grant Allocation : $50,000

Lessons Learned

• Partner, Contract with other organizations
• Education is key for widespread adoption

Introduction

The City of Yale leveraged partnerships and energy audits to implement upgrades like insulation, lighting, and HVAC controls, reducing costs and enhancing sustainability. This success highlights the impact of collaboration and strategic planning for small municipalities.

The Takeaway

Partnering with other organizations, both non-profit and for-profit, can pay huge dividends for smaller municipalities, who often lack the necessary resources to do analysis and grant writing on their own, but can benefit financially from doing the work.

A comprehensive energy audit can provide a road map for prioritizing what work needs to be done, as well as can provide a plan for seeking future funding, should that need arise. The City of Yale turned the information from the audit into a successful application for EECBG dollars.

Scope of Work

Project Results

The City of Yale worked with WARM Training Center (their technical assistance provider) to create the necessary RFP’s required to bid out the work. Project results are:

• Electrical Energy Savings
• Gas Savings
• Lower Building Maintenance Expenditure
• Higher Quality Lighting
• Greater Occupant Comfort

Potential Annual Energy Savings:

• Savings from ECMs:
  • Value: 284,660 kBTUs
  • Percentage: 62%
  • This represents the energy reduction achieved through the implementation of Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs).
• Continued Energy Use:
  • Value: 173,434 kBTUs
  • Percentage: 38%
  • This indicates the portion of energy still consumed, even after applying ECMs, highlighting potential areas for further improvements.

Potential Annual Cost Savings:

• Savings from ECMs:
  • Value: $5,321
  • Percentage: 48%
  • Reflects the financial savings achieved through ECMs, reducing overall energy expenses significantly.
• Continued Energy Cost:
  • Value: $5,762
  • Percentage: 52%
  • Represents the remaining energy costs after ECMs are applied, suggesting room for additional cost-saving measures.

Challenges Overcome

• Lack of capacity to apply for grants and to do grant paperwork
• Lack of knowledge on the measures to be pursued to get the most value.
• No in-house ability to assess energy needs
• Lack of capacity to produce RFP’s that contain all the necessary components to do this work.

Further Resources