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Carmel utilities outline meter portal, facility energy audit and irrigation pilot to reduce water and energy use
Summary
Carmel Utilities told the Climate Action Advisory Committee on July 22 that automated meters and a new customer portal will be launched soon, the city is conducting facility energy audits, and staff plan pilot irrigation reductions and drought‑resistant turf trials with Purdue to lower energy and water use.
Lane, representing Carmel Utilities, updated the Climate Action Advisory Committee on July 22 about meter upgrades, an upcoming customer portal, energy audits and irrigation pilots intended to reduce water use and energy demand.
"We are very close. We're probably a month away, maybe 6 weeks away from launching our new website and portal for customers to where they will have access to that information," Lane said, describing automated meters that provide monthly readings and real‑time usage data for customers.
Lane said the utilities team is conducting an energy audit of city facilities and refining budget and asset‑management information to better track where electricity and water are used. The audit is part of a broader effort to quantify costs of operating city assets and identify savings opportunities.
Committee members discussed irrigation practices and opportunities to lower usage. A staff member said the city currently irrigates many public landscapes about three times per week and suggested piloting zones reduced to two times per week to gauge effects on turf and water/energy savings. One participant noted the city’s summer water usage can be roughly four times winter usage and that pumping water is a major component of municipal energy use; another attendee said bringing water out of the ground accounts for about 51% of Carmel’s total energy usage.
Lane committed to follow up with parks and streets staff to confirm current irrigation schedules and to coordinate a pilot: "I can guarantee that I'm working on this project and we'll report back in 2 months," he said.
Tara Washington, a city staff member who manages the Republic contract, is coordinating composting and Republic grant opportunities; one committee member noted Republic offers an annual grant of about $10,000 for local composting initiatives and suggested a meeting to pursue funding.
Staff also described work with Purdue University on drought‑resistant turf varieties and the possibility of pilot plantings. Purdue has federal research funding for low‑water grasses and discussed potential pilot projects, staff said.
On energy benchmarking, the climate fellow is researching the EPA Energy Star portfolio manager and other platforms (Atrius, Persephone were mentioned) to begin municipal energy benchmarking and disclosure (EB2). Staff proposed starting with one city building to test the Energy Star tool and build internal experience for future expansion.
Why it matters: automated meters, benchmarking and facility audits give staff measurable data to target conservation and energy‑saving investments; irrigation reductions and drought‑tolerant plantings could lower both water and energy use and yield budget savings.
