San Diego, Chula Vista have room to improve on energy efficiency, report says
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — San Diego and Chula Vista received decent marks on a report released on Tuesday detailing efforts by cities across the U.S. to advance clean energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The City Clean Energy Scorecard, a study that has been conducted by the nonprofit American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy since 2013, ranked the two cities among the stronger performers this year compared to the other areas, albeit with a lot of room for improvement.
San Diego came in No. 13 out of all 57 cities analyzed, while Chula Vista placed No. 16 — both placements marking a rise in the nonprofit’s rankings from last year. However, neither city’s efforts garnered an overall score higher than 45 percent, according to the report.
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The highest score was 63 percent, which was given to San Francisco. All 57 cities, even those that ranked among the top 10 for the most energy efficient metros, have “considerable opportunity to improve,” the report said.
These scores are calculated based on data collected in five groups of metrics spanning community-wide initiatives, building and transportation policies, community infrastructure, local government operations, and clean energy equitability.
San Diego performed best in the community energy infrastructure category, in part due to San Diego Gas & Electric.
The report touted SDG&E’s energy savings assistance and multifamily programs, as well as the city’s partnership with the utility agency to “administer energy efficiency initiatives.” It also praised San Diego Community Power, the nonprofit Community Choice Aggregator that serves the city and surrounding areas.
San Diego’s category with the most room for improvement, according to the nonprofit, was community-wide initiatives, citing limited information to determine the city’s approach to clean-energy workforce development and other engagement efforts.
However, the report found that San Diego was on track to meet its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 61 percent from 2019 levels by 2030. The nonprofit offered the following recommendations to bring the city closer to meeting its climate goals:
“Adopt retrocomissioning policies.”
“Implement clean energy workforce development initiatives targeting disadvantaged communities.”
“Establish building energy performance standards to reduce energy use and [greenhouse gas] emissions.”
“Implement affordability requirements in buildings incentives programs.”
“Work with utilities to formalize partnerships with community-based organizations.”
“Create or expand bike networks that connect people with a variety of destinations.”
The report detailed similar strengths and weaknesses driving Chula Vista’s score as San Diego, including transparency issues in the community-wide initiatives metric and the availability of energy-efficiency programs for ratepayers through SDG&E.
The report also praised Chula Vista’s efforts to install solar power at several city-owned properties and policies that allow residents to optimize energy efficiency at their home, such as a program providing free energy and water checkups.
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Where Chula Vista falls behind, the report said, is in its transportation policies, specifically noting the city’s lack of subsidized access for disadvantaged communities to efficient transportation options.
According to the report, Chula Vista is currently not on track to meet its near-term goal of reducing emissions 57 percent from 2018 levels by 2030. The nonprofit recommended the Chula Vista officials take the following steps to improve its climate policies:
“Create more incentive and financing programs designed for disadvantaged communities.”
“Set and track progress toward [vehicle emissions] reduction goals.”
“Work with utilities to formalize partnerships with community-based organizations.”
“Create or expand bike networks that connect people with a variety of destinations.”
“Implement inclusive procurement and contracting processes.”
“Develop equity-driven community engagement processes.”
The full 140-page report from American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy can be found here.
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