City of Los Angeles – Robert Youngs – 2014

Goals 

Rob Youngs was enlisted by The Sustainability Office of Los Angeles Mayor, Eric Garcetti, to perform a comprehensive analysis of current energy management practices and new opportunities for energy efficiency in city-owned buildings.

Solutions

Working closely with the Mayor’s Deputy Director of Sustainability, the General Services Department (GSD) and the Mayor’s Office of Budget and Innovation, Youngs analyzed a recent suite of energy efficiency projects funded by the federal government’s 2009 stimulus package. He then developed a roadmap to deliver 14 percent energy savings across the more than 500 buildings managed by the GSD.

Youngs recommended a series of initiatives building upon the recent effort to benchmark and disclose energy use in city buildings. These initiatives include “bottom-up” energy savings through employee engagement and energy competitions, along with increasing the use of building HVAC automation software to increase occupant comfort and save energy in LA’s largest buildings. Youngs also recommended a streamlined HVAC retro commissioning program based on remote data audits and targeted HVAC tune-ups.

Potential Impact

These projects could save the City of Los Angeles over $2 million in net operating costs in the first year, as well as 17 million kilowatt hours and over 7,000 metric tons of carbon emissions. Youngs presented his findings to the GSD, the Sustainability Office and the Mayor’s Office of Budget and Innovation.