CFE agenda 081417 - Laserfiche WebLink

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and maintenance. The City strives to purchase fuel - efficient and clean- burning diesel vehicles, reduce idling, and mitigate the environmental impact of servicing City vehicles through the use of eco- friendly fluids, cleaners, and automotive waste recycling. Solar hot water panels on top of Fire Station 8 Green 11::..:]neirgY suIimply In 2009, the City partnered with Methane Power to convert methane generated from decomposing waste in the closed landfill into electricity. Through this process, the City earns money by supplying the methane; electricity is generated, offsetting electricity that would have been produced by coal or nuclear power, and methane — a greenhouse gas 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide — is destroyed. Each year the project generates approximately 2 -2.4 megawatts of electricity, enough to power about 1,900 homes. Durham's landfill- methane -to- electricity facility City employees regularly strive to save energy in the workplace through small actions like turning off the lights, monitors, and dressing for the weather. The City was ranked in the top 5 on the leaderboard for the Duke Energy Smart Energy in Offices campaign in 2016. Reducing energy use is important for the City to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and utility bills. Since 2012, the City has committed $1.7 million to an Energy Efficiency Capital Improvement Fund to increase energy efficiency of City owned facilities. These funds are used for energy saving projects such as upgrading lighting, replacing old heating and air conditioning units with more efficient ones, and adding automated controls on systems so that they turn off when they are not needed. To date, these improvements have saved approximately $500,000 in utility costs, with additional savings expected to accrue throughout the lifetime of the new equipment. City of IDurharn 20!7 Sustainability IReport