2016 Santa Monica Municipal Operations Sustainability Report Credit: David Matthiessen
2016 Santa Monica Municipal Operations
Sustainability Report
Credit: David Matthiessen
I’m proud to serve as Public Works Directorfor a world-class city, known for itssustainability leadership. The City of SantaMonica has integrated sustainability into itsDNA and we continue to innovate withcutting-edge technologies and ambitiousgoals.
From constructing LEED Platinum facilities to
running everyday operations, we areconstantly seeking to reduce our impact onthe environment. This report highlights thehard work, dedication and effort each of ourstaff put into running this City sustainably.
This report also highlights areas forcontinued improvement. We hope that thisdocument will engage City staff and thecommunity in a conversation aboutconservation, efficiency and reducingwaste in their work and home.
- Susan Cline
Message from the
Director of Public
Works
Running a Sustainable City
Managing city operations as a leader in
sustainability requires goal setting, continuous
improvement and good data.
Santa Monica has been a leader in setting
goals for reducing resource consumption, like
energy and water, and increasing the use of
renewable energy and alternative fuels. By
tracking usage and conservation efforts, we
can be accountable for our performance and
continue striving for excellence.
Credit: William Short 3
2020 Municipal Operations
Sustainability Goals
10%
20%
1 MW
30% CO2
Leading by
example
In 1994, Santa Monica adopted
a Sustainable City Plan, one of
the first in the nation.
As the threat of global climate
change looms, we will
continue to set ambitious goals
to operate more sustainably.
Reduce greenhouse gas emissions 30%
below 1990 levels
Reduce energy use
by 10%
Increase solar on City facilities by 1 MW
Reduce water use by 20%
4
4 Fire Stations
27 Parks & 130 Acres
of Open Space
5 Branch Libraries
Approx 3.7M sq ft of
built environment
10 Parking Structures
We operate
over 3.7M sq ft of
built environment
The City operates a wide
variety of facilities that provide
administrative support,
community services and
public safety.5
Buildings/
Facilities
27%
Streetlights & Traffic
Signals
8%
Vehicle Fleet
9%
Water Delivery
21%
Big Blue Bus
35%
Municipal GHG Inventory
(2015)Greenhouse
gas emissions
are down 42%
from 1990
While building and facility
square footage and
community services have
grown, emissions have
decreased due to energy
efficiency, renewable
energy use, a cleaner utility
grid and more efficient
vehicles.
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
16,000
18,000
Buildings/
Facilities
Streetlights
& Traffic
Signals
Vehicle
Fleet
Water
Delivery
Big Blue
Bus
An
nu
al Em
issi
on
s (M
TCO
2e
)
Municipal GHG Trends
1990
2000
2007
2011
2012
2015
5
Energy
Credit: Aslanian Architects
Electricity use
up, natural gas
use down.
Since 2008, natural gas
use has declined by 40%.
due to more energy
efficient pool heating
equipment and building
management systems.
Despite increasing
operating space,
electricity use in buildings
and facilities has declined
by 5%. Electricity for water
treatment, however, has
increased.8
140
160
180
200
220
240
260
280
300
30
32
34
36
38
40
42
44
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
An
nu
al N
atu
ral G
as
Use
(th
erm
s)Th
ou
san
ds
An
nu
al Ele
ctr
icity
Use
(k
Wh
)M
illio
ns
Municipal Energy Usage Trends
Electricity
Natural Gas
-
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
Buildings & Facilities Water Treatment &
Distribution
Streetlighting Traffic Controls
An
nu
al Ele
ctr
icity
Co
nsu
mp
tio
n (
mill
ion
kW
h) 2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
Electricity Use by Sector
9
Electricity for water treatment and distribution has increased by 40% since 2011 as a result of increasing local
water capacity. Electricity use for all other functions has remained relatively constant or declined.
-
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
PSF/City Hall Library - Main
Branch
BBB - Maintenance
Bldg.
Unmetered
Streetlighting
SMURRF/Moss Ave
Pumping Station
(MAPS)
An
nu
al Ele
ctr
icity
Co
nsu
mp
tio
n (
kW
h)
x 1
00000
Top 5 Electricity Users
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
Since 2011, some of the City’s most energy intensive facilities have reduced energy use significantly.
38% 22% 26%
10
-
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
An
nu
al Ele
ctr
icity
Co
nsu
mp
tio
n (
kW
h)
Tho
usa
nd
sTop 6-20 Municipal Electricity Users
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
39% 22% 33% 33% 40% 26%
11
Variable speed drives help to reduce energy use at the SMC Swim Center and Annenberg Beach House,
while LED lighting continues to reduce energy use at the Civic Center Parking Structure.
Past Electricity Projects Efficiency Measure Year kWh Savings
Occupancy Power Strips Plug Load 2012 120,822
Pico Underpass Lighting 2012 28,492
Streetlights Lighting 2012 144,295
Memorial Park Gym Lighting 2012 45,499
Streetlight Retrofit Lighting 2012 245,617
City Hall Lighting 2012 4,642
Open Space Management Office Lighting 2012 1,815
Server Virtualization Information Systems 2013 148,606
Moss Ave Pump Station Pumps 2013 26,606
Parking Structure 6 Savings by Design 2013 870,427
Santa Monica Pier Lighting 2013 27,901
Santa Monica Swim Center Variable Frequency Drives
2013 320,798
Vending Misers Plug Load 2013 8,060
Pico Branch Library Savings by Design 2014 43,368
Main Library HVAC Controls 2014 91,293
Main Library Garage Lighting 2014 344,823
Ken Edwards Center Lighting 2014 60,238
1855 Main Street Parking Lot Lighting 2014 34,175
Multiple facilities Direct Install 2014 333,245
Public Safety Facility Lighting 2015 156,654
Big Blue Bus Lighting 2016 533,163
TOTAL 3,590,53912
Energy
efficiency has
saved over
3.5M kWh
since 2012
With the support of
Southern California Edison
and The Energy Network,
the City has successfully
implemented a wide
variety of efficiency
projects in existing
buildings and in new
construction.
Energy efficiency is paid
for by rebates, on-bill
financing, operating and
capital budgets.
Project Highlight
In 2016, the Big Blue Bus
maintenance facility
installed LED lights in the bus
yard, maintenance bays and
administrative offices.
The project saves an annual
472,000 kWh and $25,000 in
utility costs.
The City received a rebate of
over $80,000 from Southern
California Edison.13
Credit: Maintenance Design Group
16-18 CIP-Funded LED Retrofits
Estimated
kWh
Savings
Streetlights (1,291) 813,000
Downtown Parking Structures (Includes CO monitor and exhaust fan upgrade in
Structure 9)
600,000
Beach Parking Lots 274,000
Memorial Park 200,000
Reed Park 13,300
Palisades Park 99,700
Airport Park 90,000
Airport Facilities TBD
TOTAL 2,090,000
14
Future LED
projects could
save over
2M kWh
In 2016, Council approved several capital improvement projects focused on retrofitting facility lighting to LED.
A majority of these projects will be supported by on-bill financing and rebates, returning the capital funds back to the City.
Smart green
computing
The City’s Information
Systems Department has
replaced almost 1,000
employee computers with
new ones that utilize the
‘cloud.’
By taking advantage of
virtual hard drives,
employees now use
between 62-74% less energy than before.
15
Year Original PowerReplace
mentPower Efficiency Quantity
Est. Annual
kWh
Savings*
1 HP 8100 250 WElitedesk
800 G1
Mini65 W 74% 374 138,380
2 HP 8200 240 WElitedesk
800 G2
Mini90 W 62% 626 200,320
Total 990 338,700
*Assumes operation of 40 hrs for 50 weeks
Solar capacity
needs to meet
solar potential
Over the years, solar
capacity on City facilities
has increased incrementally
as new projects have been
constructed.
The solar generated from
these sites accounts for less
than 2% of all electricity consumed.
30
10
80
50
213
80
12
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
500
0
50
100
150
200
250
Civ
ic C
en
ter
So
lar
Po
rt
Ma
in B
ran
ch
Lib
rary
Big
Blu
e B
us
Ma
inte
na
nc
e B
uild
ing
3200 A
irp
ort
Ave
nu
e
Civ
ic C
en
ter
Pa
rkin
g S
tru
ctu
re
Pa
rkin
g S
tru
ctu
re 6
Pic
o B
ran
ch
Lib
rary
2000 2006 2009 2010 2013 2013 2014
Installed Solar Capacity on City Facilities (kW)
System Size Cumulative Capacity
17
The Living Building
Challenge
In the summer of 2017, the City will break ground on a new 50,000 sq ftadministrative building behind City Hall, known as the City Services Building (CSB).
Set to house over 200 employees currently in leased office space around the city, the CSB will seek to achieve certification under the Living Building Challenge.
To meet this certification, the CSB will:
• Produce as much energy as it consumes
• Not use fossil fuel combustion for space or water heating
• Use water captured only onsite• Not create any wastewater• Not contain any hazardous
construction materials
Credit: Frederick Fisher and Partners
0
2,500
5,000
7,500
10,000
12,500
15,000
17,500
20,000
22,500
25,000
27,500
30,000
32,500
CCS -
Annenberg
Beach House
Facilities - PSF BBB - Bus
Maintenance
Building
Library - Main
Branch
City Yards 1 Animal Shelter Airport - 3400
Airport Ave
Fire - Station #2
An
nu
al N
atu
ral G
as
Co
nsu
mp
tio
n (
the
rms)
Top 10 Natural Gas Users
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
41% 50%
21% 51% 34% 18% 45%
18
Significant efficiency gains in natural gas use at the Public Safety Facility and Big Blue Bus facility have come
as a result of building management systems and more efficient space heating.
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
3,500
4,000
Fire - Station
#3
Fire - Station
#1
Airport Fire - Station
#5
Ken Edwards
Center
Airport -
Suite B
Memorial
Park PAL
Center
Facilities -
MEA Trailer
Airport -
3200 Aiport
Ave
Miles
Playhouse
An
nu
al N
atu
ral G
as
Co
nsu
mp
tio
n (
the
rms)
Top 11-20 Natural Gas Users
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
14% 44%
51% 53% 62% 72%
More efficient heating and cooling systems help to reduce natural gas use.
Past Natural
Gas ProjectsEfficiency Measure Year
Therm
Savings
Swim CenterPool heater
replacement2010 7,230
2225 16th Street Pipe insulation 2010 2,160
Swim Center Boiler Replacement 2012 782
Main Branch
Library-- 2013 3,918
Annenberg
Beach HousePool Covers 2013 8,951
Swim Center Pool Covers 2015 13,600
TOTAL 36,341
20
Natural gas
projects harder
to find and
implement
Due to the lifecycle of
mechanical equipment
and their extensive
systems, natural gas
efficiency projects are
more challenging to
identify.
Water
21Credit: City of Santa Monica
0
50000
100000
150000
200000
250000
300000
350000
2013 2014 2015 2016
33%
An
nu
al W
ate
r C
on
sum
ptio
n
(Ga
llo
ns)
Water
conservation
works
In response to the statewide
drought, the City committed to
reduce water use by 20%.
Various efficiency and
conservation efforts has
decreased municipal water
usage by 33% compared to
2013.
22
0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
Facilities Operations Pier Swim Center Annenberg Beach House
An
nu
al W
ate
r C
on
sum
ptio
n (
HC
F)
Top 4 Water Users
2013
2014
2015
2016
32% 46%21%8%
23
Significant water use reduction has been achieved through an aggressive plumbing retrofit and leak repair
program.
24
The Road to Water
Self-Sufficiency
Over two-thirds of Santa Monica’s water is produced locally from groundwater sources. This reduces the city’s reliance on expensive and energy-intensive water imported from Northern California. By 2020, Santa Monica will seek to achieve water self-sufficiency. This will require greater levels of conservation and efficiency, while boosting local production.
In the coming years, the City’s Water Resources Division will develop an integrated water resources system to capture and treat stormwater runoff and utilize brackish/saline groundwater, and wastewater for immediate non-potable reuse. When completed, this project will generate 1.5 million gallons per day from sustainable sources.
0
1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
6,000
An
nu
al W
ate
r C
on
sum
ptio
n (
HC
F)Top 5-14 Water Users
2013
2014
2015
2016
29% 67%12% 76%22%
47%
25
Implementing irrigation management systems and practices has also helped to reduce outdoor water use.
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
An
nu
al W
ate
r C
on
sum
ptio
n (
HC
F)
Top 15-31 Water Users
2013
2014
2015
2016
31% 48%
48%
44%
61%
50%
70%
26
27
Water efficiency
across City
operations
Since 2015, City staff have
retrofitted, repaired and
replaced indoor and outdoor
water fixtures across facilities,
parks and landscapes.
Outdoor Projects Quantity
Drip irrigation systems installed 71
Rotors installed/retrofitted 1,713
Sprayheads removed 3,116
Rotors removed 486
Irrigation controllers installed 36
Sq ft of turf removed 45,356
Indoor Projects Quantity
Low flow urinals installed 16
Toilets retrofitted/replaced 137
Showers retrofitted 145
Faucets retrofitted/repaired 431
Vehicle Fuel
28Credit: Clean Energy Fuels
Unleaded
25% (270)
Flex fuel
5% (57)
Diesel
9% (93)
CNG
25% (264)
RNG
20% (209)
Propane 5%
(39)
Electric
12% (128)
Municipal Vehicle Fleet Mix
Driving toward a
cleaner future
The City’s fleet vehicles provide
services for pubic safety, waste
& recycling, infrastructure
maintenance, transit and
administration.
Over 70% of non-emergency
vehicles are powered by
alternative fuels.29
30
3,789 4,001 4,936
2,218 2,266 1,951
12,627
16,189
18,069
17,516 17,057
7,436
1990 2000 2007 2011 2012 2015
An
nu
al G
ree
nh
ou
se G
as
Em
issi
on
s (m
tCO
2e
)
Vehicle Fuel Emissions
Big Blue Bus
Vehicle Fleet
16,416
21,190
23,005
19,73419,323
9,387
Big Blue Bus
goes green
In 2015, the Big Blue Bus fleet
transitioned to renewable
natural gas sourced from
landfill methane, reducing its
emissions by 62%.
In 2017, the Fleet Division will
seek to fuel fleet vehicles with
renewable diesel and natural
gas.
31
Waste
Management
Doing more to
waste less
While waste from City
operations is not separated
from citywide collection
routes, Santa Monica is on
track to becoming a zero
waste community by 2030.
Since 2015, zero waste
programs have been
implemented at 20 City
facilities. Trash receptacles
were centralized in lieu of
individual bins and
composting was introduced
to City-owned offices.32
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
An
nu
al To
ns
Dis
po
sed
x 1
00
00
Citywide Waste Disposal & Diversion
78% 83% 86% 84% 79% 78% 79%
Annual Diversion Rate
Maintaining excellence in
operations & environmental
stewardship
Santa Monica is committed to maintaining its status as a world-renowned sustainable city.
We will continue to provide the highest level of service and the greenest operations for a cleaner tomorrow.
33Credit: Architizer
learn more at sustainablesm.org