Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer and City Councilmember Luis Chavez announced Tuesday that $17.9 million in energy efficiency upgrades will be made at dozens of locations throughout the city.
In the first year, the upgrades will save the city more than $1.5 million in PG&E costs. That number will grow to $22 million over 15 years. The electricity savings will amount to 3.5 million kilowatts annually, which is the equivalent to taking 540 gas-powered vehicles off the road each year.
Alliance Building Solutions superintendent Cody Renwick walks through posted plans for a comprehensive city-wide project after a press conference at Sunnyside Park Tuesday, April 26, 2022 in Fresno. Fresno mayor Jerry Dyer announced the project which will replace park and other city facilities with energy saving devices like LED lighting, saving the city an estimated $22.6 million over the next 20 years. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com
Lighting at 73 city locations will be upgraded to LED; 20 sites will receive HVAC upgrades; system control upgrades will be made at 43 sites; and transformers will be updated at 10 sites, Dyer said.
The updates will be made at various locations throughout the city, including parks, police, and fire stations, Dyer said. A bonus project will include putting in new HVAC and lighting at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium in downtown.
“We’ll be saving green dollars and being green at the same time,” Chavez said.
Alliance Building Solutions superintendent Cody Renwick perched on a lift about 30 feet in the air, installs an LED light on a post at Sunnyside Park after plans for a comprehensive city-wide energy project were announced at a press conference Tuesday, April 26, 2022 in Fresno. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com
Fresno mayor Jerry Dyer announces a comprehensive city-wide project which includes energy saving upgrades at city parks and public safety facilities which will save the city over $22.6 million over the next 20 years. The press conference, held along with city councilperson Luis Chavez and other dignitaries and with Alliance Building Solutions, Inc. was held at Sunnyside Park Tuesday, April 26, 2022 in Fresno. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com
This story was originally published April 27, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
Brianna Vaccari covers Fresno City Hall for The Bee, where she works to hold public officials accountable and shine a light on issues that deeply affect residents’ lives. She previously worked for The Bee’s sister paper, the Merced Sun-Star, and earned her bachelor’s degree from Fresno State.
