Agenda - 04-07-20; 6-a - Climate Action Tax Recommendations for FY 2019-20

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9 amount of light, LEDs use about 75% less energy than incandescent bulbs and 5-10% less than fluorescents, all while minimizing heat output and lasting 10 times longer. According to the US Department of Energy, currently about 15% of US residents have adopted LEDs. While the adoption rate is probably higher in Orange County, there would still be room for improvement making this easy-to- install energy-saving technology a good focus for an energy efficiency campaign. The project would be run by the Orange County Sustainability Program in partnership with several Orange County departments and non-profits that directly serve the County's low-income households. The Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) run by the Orange County Department of Social Services helps Orange County residents to pay their energy bills in an emergency.This program is open to working with the Sustainability Program to distribute LED lightbulbs to those who request assistance. The Family Success Alliance and their affiliated non-profit partners are also open to distributing LEDs through their networks. This proposed campaign would be rolled out in 3 steps: 1.) Create and test a pledge form - In order to receive bulbs, an interested resident would fill out a brief pledge that would allow them to indicate the number and type of bulbs that they pledge to replace with LEDs.The pledge form would be designed and tested to protect the identity of participants while allowing the program to estimate the energy efficiency impact.This form and other outreach materials would also suggest further low or no-cost ways to reduce energy bills such as moderating thermostat settings and changing air filters, and it would inform residents of other related utility savings programs such as OWASA's Affordability Outreach Program. 2.) Purchase bulbs— LED bulbs would be purchased in bulk to reduce costs and then stored until they are distributed. Ordering and distribution may occur in multiple rounds depending on the storage space available. 3.) Distribute—This program will leverage an existing program from Duke Energy to provide a box of 15 free LED bulbs every 5 years to each customer who requests one. With the assistance of staff administering the LIEAP and FSA as well as partnering non-profits, all applicable clients would apply for Duke Energy's free LEDs. If a household is served by Piedmont Electric, or if the bulbs Duke provides would not replace all the bulbs in the household, the County would provide LED bulbs. Non-profits and County staff who have access and permission to enter clients' houses may be able to provide a higher level of service and replace the bulbs directly. County staff will work with these partners to supply bulbs they need. Including the cost of promotional materials it is estimated that the LED campaign would cost just over $19,000 to serve up to 3,000 households. Based on initial data from the 2017 Orange County GHG inventory, retrofitting a household with LEDs could save 400-1000 kwh/year, reduce the electric bill by $40-$100/year, and reduce CO2e emissions by 300-700 pounds/year. Small hydropower feasibility study(*Not included in recommended projects due to low CFE ranking*): According to County engineer, Chris Sandt, Lake Orange may be a good candidate for the installation of a small hydropower generator.The upcoming spillway repair project funded in the CIP may be a good opportunity to leverage committed funds to install energy generation equipment.A 3rd party engineering study would help to confirm the total power output expected and the overall feasibility of this project.