The City of Shawnee is making a positive impact in reducing their carbon footprint and becoming more green. The City recently partnered with Navitas to complete an energy conservation and efficiency program and is in the final stages of implementation.
In 2018 the City was faced with rising utility costs and a growing list of deferred maintenance needs. They were seeking a way to address these facility needs, improve comfort and temperature control in their buildings, and increase their energy efficiency.
To address these issues, the City turned to the state of Kansas Facility Conservation Improvement Program (FCIP). This program was put in place for state entities to address issues such as the City of Shawnee had; namely energy efficiency and deferred maintenance issues. Navitas was selected through the FCIP’s competitive process to partner with the City.
The project allows the City to renovate 11 of their facilities, including the Shawnee Justice Center and the Civic Center, and eliminate most of the deferred maintenance issues. Among the work included are upgrades to the lighting, building automation system, and HVAC systems; which will make the buildings more comfortable to work in and visit; and streetlight improvements.
The City has also included a renewable energy piece in the project. There is now a 77.7 kW solar photovoltaic array on the roof of Fire Station 72, which is pictured above.
At the same time, the City will become more energy efficient and reduce their carbon footprint. By implementing this energy conservation program, the City will save over $388,000 in annual utility and operational costs. In addition, the City’s greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced by over 7,350,000 lbs. That’s the same as taking 640 cars off the road or conserving 377,000 gallons of gas.