Sacramento County is committed to cost-effective and efficient operations that minimize environmental impact – and on September 4, the County’s efforts will be recognized by Sacramento Municipal Utilities District (SMUD).
Completed recently, Sacramento County, in coordination with SMUD, implemented SmartGrid projects that allow County buildings to use up to 400 kilowatts less energy, automatically. Smart thermostats control more than two million square feet of the County’s buildings, saving an estimated $240,000 in energy costs annually. These computerized thermostats can reduce the air conditioning electrical load by 2.6 million kilowatt-hours to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 1,000 metric tons of CO2 per year – equivalent to planting 750 acres of trees.
With the SmartGrid technology, the County can monitor, track and audit utility usage, as well as monitor past and real-time electrical demand and outside air temperatures for specific buildings, rooms or thermostats throughout the county’s related facilities.
The County accomplished these projects with matching funds, SMUD rebates and a SMUD Smart Grid Investment Grant (SGIG). Project costs will be offset by savings generated within roughly seven years.
The project was managed by the County’s Energy Program, Architectural Services Division (ASD), Construction Management and Inspection Division (CMID) and General Services’ Downtown Maintenance staff and was installed with assistance from the local offices of Johnson Controls and Siemens Building Technologies Division.
