Ameresco Case Studies Boston's Municipal Energy Efficiency Upgrades: A Case Study on LED Retrofitting

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	Boston's Municipal Energy Efficiency Upgrades: A Case Study on LED Retrofitting Ameresco

Boston's Municipal Energy Efficiency Upgrades: A Case Study on LED Retrofitting

Ameresco

Technology Category	Sensors - Optical Sensors Sensors - Utility Meters
Applicable Industries	Buildings Renewable Energy
Applicable Functions	Facility Management Maintenance
Use Cases	Smart City Operations Smart Lighting
Challenge	The City of Boston, under the leadership of Mayor Michelle Wu, was faced with the challenge of aligning its municipal operations with its carbon neutrality goals. The city had an inventory of 80,000 streetlights and other exterior lighting fixtures that were not energy efficient. The city's Renew Boston Trust (RBT), a self-funding finance mechanism, was tasked with the responsibility of converting all electric lighting to efficient LED fixtures. The city had already released a request for qualifications in July 2021 and selected the contractor Ameresco, Inc to conduct an audit of the exterior lighting. The audit involved recording the location, technology, condition, and other relevant data of the exterior lighting over a period of six months. The city also had to develop energy conservation measures to reduce the amount of electricity and natural gas used by the city’s streetlights, traffic lights, athletic field and park lights, and school department security lighting. Read More
About Customer	The customer in this case study is the City of Boston, a municipal government in the United States. The city is committed to achieving carbon neutrality and has implemented various initiatives to achieve this goal. One of these initiatives is the Renew Boston Trust (RBT), a self-funding finance mechanism that uses the cost savings from efficiency projects to pay for themselves. The city has a large inventory of exterior lighting, including streetlights, traffic lights, athletic field and park lights, and school department security lighting. The city is also responsible for the energy efficiency of its public buildings, including schools, police stations, and property management facilities. The city has a budget for these initiatives and has allocated funds for the continuation of these projects. Read More
Solution	The city of Boston decided to conduct an initial audit of the exterior lighting as the first step in the process. The data collected from the audit was used to develop energy conservation measures designed to reduce the amount of electricity and natural gas used by the city’s streetlights, traffic lights, athletic field and park lights, and school department security lighting. The work to improve the efficiency of the fixtures was implemented in stages over several years. The city allocated $10.0 million in capital funds for this stage of the Renew Boston Trust project. The city also embarked on the third phase of the RBT building energy efficiency program, which involved conducting lighting improvements, water conservation, building envelope improvements, and pipe insulation upgrades in nine Boston Public Schools, one police station, and one property management facility. The city's FY23 budget contained $65 million in City capital funds for the continuation of Phase III of the RBT program. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Sensors - Optical Sensors

Sensors - Utility Meters

Applicable Industries

Buildings

Renewable Energy

Applicable Functions

Facility Management

Maintenance

Use Cases

Smart City Operations

Smart Lighting

Challenge

The City of Boston, under the leadership of Mayor Michelle Wu, was faced with the challenge of aligning its municipal operations with its carbon neutrality goals. The city had an inventory of 80,000 streetlights and other exterior lighting fixtures that were not energy efficient. The city's Renew Boston Trust (RBT), a self-funding finance mechanism, was tasked with the responsibility of converting all electric lighting to efficient LED fixtures. The city had already released a request for qualifications in July 2021 and selected the contractor Ameresco, Inc to conduct an audit of the exterior lighting. The audit involved recording the location, technology, condition, and other relevant data of the exterior lighting over a period of six months. The city also had to develop energy conservation measures to reduce the amount of electricity and natural gas used by the city’s streetlights, traffic lights, athletic field and park lights, and school department security lighting.

About Customer

The customer in this case study is the City of Boston, a municipal government in the United States. The city is committed to achieving carbon neutrality and has implemented various initiatives to achieve this goal. One of these initiatives is the Renew Boston Trust (RBT), a self-funding finance mechanism that uses the cost savings from efficiency projects to pay for themselves. The city has a large inventory of exterior lighting, including streetlights, traffic lights, athletic field and park lights, and school department security lighting. The city is also responsible for the energy efficiency of its public buildings, including schools, police stations, and property management facilities. The city has a budget for these initiatives and has allocated funds for the continuation of these projects.

Solution

The city of Boston decided to conduct an initial audit of the exterior lighting as the first step in the process. The data collected from the audit was used to develop energy conservation measures designed to reduce the amount of electricity and natural gas used by the city’s streetlights, traffic lights, athletic field and park lights, and school department security lighting. The work to improve the efficiency of the fixtures was implemented in stages over several years. The city allocated $10.0 million in capital funds for this stage of the Renew Boston Trust project. The city also embarked on the third phase of the RBT building energy efficiency program, which involved conducting lighting improvements, water conservation, building envelope improvements, and pipe insulation upgrades in nine Boston Public Schools, one police station, and one property management facility. The city's FY23 budget contained $65 million in City capital funds for the continuation of Phase III of the RBT program.

Impact #1	The operational results of the City of Boston's energy efficiency upgrades have been significant. The city has been able to reduce its energy expenses and carbon emissions through the Renew Boston Trust mechanism. The retrofitting of the city's exterior lighting with LED technology has not only reduced energy spend but also resulted in a significant reduction of carbon emissions. The city has also been able to reduce maintenance costs, increase reliability, and optimize operations planning through the upgrade of its streetlights to LED. The city's commitment to energy efficiency and carbon neutrality has also resulted in the creation of green jobs, with a portion of the city's spending supporting residents flowing into the city’s green transformation. The city's initiatives have also reduced its reliance on fossil fuels and have served as an important component of Mayor Wu’s Green New Deal.

Impact #1

The operational results of the City of Boston's energy efficiency upgrades have been significant. The city has been able to reduce its energy expenses and carbon emissions through the Renew Boston Trust mechanism. The retrofitting of the city's exterior lighting with LED technology has not only reduced energy spend but also resulted in a significant reduction of carbon emissions. The city has also been able to reduce maintenance costs, increase reliability, and optimize operations planning through the upgrade of its streetlights to LED. The city's commitment to energy efficiency and carbon neutrality has also resulted in the creation of green jobs, with a portion of the city's spending supporting residents flowing into the city’s green transformation. The city's initiatives have also reduced its reliance on fossil fuels and have served as an important component of Mayor Wu’s Green New Deal.

Benefit #1	The initial audit and retrofitting project has been allocated $10.0 million in capital funds.
Benefit #2	The third phase of the RBT building energy efficiency program has been allocated $65 million in City capital funds.
Benefit #3	The first two phases of RBT have saved nearly $1.1 million in debt service.

Benefit #1

The initial audit and retrofitting project has been allocated $10.0 million in capital funds.

Benefit #2

The third phase of the RBT building energy efficiency program has been allocated $65 million in City capital funds.

Benefit #3

The first two phases of RBT have saved nearly $1.1 million in debt service.

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Overview

Boston's Municipal Energy Efficiency Upgrades: A Case Study on LED Retrofitting

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit