The Oregon Department of Energy has approved a $535,000 grant to the City of Portland under the State Energy Program (SEP) and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

The grant for energy efficiency upgrades at city-owned facilities is based on formula dollars sent to Oregon, consistent with an approved statewide energy plan.  The Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (BPS) will administer the SEP funds.

“Energy efficiency is the cleanest, fastest, most affordable and direct path to reduced emissions and a greener city,” said Portland Mayor Sam Adams. “With these funds, the City of Portland has the resources to create local jobs, reduce our carbon footprint, and lower our operating costs, stretching taxpayer dollars.”

The $535,000 grant will be allocated to the following projects:

• Portland City Hall: SEP/ARRA funds will contribute $15,000 toward a $30,000 upgrade to City Hall’s heating and cooling system. Two variable speed drives will be added to allow slower motor speeds at low use times.  This project will cut the building’s electric bill by $4,000 per year and reduce carbon emissions by 300 metric tons over the life of the project.
• Portland Building: SEP/ARRA funds will contribute $275,000 toward two projects totaling $1,620,000 at the Portland Building.  New lighting fixtures and a replacement Energy Management System will be installed to save about $80,000 annually and reduce carbon emissions by 8,000 metric tons over 20 years.
• Four Smart Park Garages: Four Smart Park Garages in downtown Portland will have their outdated lighting fixtures replaced.  The City is evaluating an emerging lighting technology, light emitting diodes or LEDs.  The grant will cover about $170,000 of the $300,000 to 400,000 project, saving $60,000 each year.
• SW 3rd & Alder garage retail spaces: The retail space at the SW 3rd & Alder parking garage will have a new high-efficiency boiler installed along with a new cooling tower and four high efficiency heat pumps costing $350,000.  SEP/ARRA funds will contribute $48,000.  The annual energy bills will be cut by about $12,000.
• St. Johns Racquet Center: The St. Johns Racquet Center will have new lighting fixtures added using $27,448 from SEP/ARRA, saving $16,000 per year.

“In developing the competitive proposal for use of SEP funds, City bureaus aimed for projects that could be rolled out quickly and those with solid energy paybacks,” said BPS Director Susan Anderson. “These energy-efficiency capital projects will yield lifetime energy savings and carbon reductions while supporting green jobs today.”

SEP project activities will support the objective for local government operations from the City of Portland and Multnomah County’s 2009 Climate Action Plan. The objective aims to reduce carbon emissions from City and County operations by 50 percent from 1990 levels by 2030.