Sustainable Jersey
At a Glance
Industry
Nonprofit
Project Types
Clean and Renewable Energy, Commercial Energy Efficiency, Data Analysis, Zero Emission Vehicles, Freight and Logistics
Year
2020
Location
Trenton, NJ
Summary
Zukhruf Amjad spent her summer consulting The City of Trenton in New Jersey to develop and implement a municipality-wide energy efficiency strategy, with guidance from the Sustainable Jersey energy actions list.
Goals
Sustainable Jersey creates a network of municipalities and school districts to empower them with tools, trainings, and financial incentives to jump start their sustainability journeys. The City of Trenton in New Jersey needed help with developing and implementing an energy efficiency strategy designed to cater to its specific requirements. EDF Climate Corps Fellow Zukhruf Amjad was brought in to develop a roadmap for Trenton, kickstarting several projects on municipal energy efficiency use, energy tracking and management, and commercial energy efficiency measures.
Solutions
The City of Trenton, being one of the biggest municipalities in New Jersey and falling under an Urban Enterprise Zone, was motivated to develop a robust energy efficiency and sustainability plan that was both high impact and minimal in upfront cost. Building on their enthusiasm, Amjad developed a 2-year energy efficiency strategy focusing on a complete municipality-wide ASHRAE Level 2 energy audit, and leveraging incentives provided by the state to develop a performance based contracting mechanism for implementation of projects identified in the audits.
Amjad also identified some major gaps in the energy management system in the City and proposed several solutions to develop a long-term workplan for a better energy tracking and management. She aligned her proposals with key stakeholders in the municipality such as the City Council and the Mayor’s office to ensure support across the municipal government divisions.
She then researched and initiated several energy-based projects under the Sustainable Jersey energy action list that the City of Trenton could integrate in their future plans. These included an energy efficiency outreach mechanism for commercial players and developing a municipal wide fleet inventory. While still in the very initial stages, these projects have the potential to boost Trenton’s Sustainable Jersey certification and as the state capital, be an exemplary model for other municipalities within the state.
Impact
Upon implementation, Amjad’s projects can save the municipality almost $300,000 annually in utility costs. This also results in an annual GHG emission reduction of almost 897 metric tons of CO2, 800,000 KWhr in electricity and 85,000 therms of gas. These savings and emission reductions align with New Jersey’s Energy Master Plan unveiled by Governor Murphy in early 2020 which envision a 100% clean energy by 2050.