Escondido staff and Climate Tech present $50–70M preliminary citywide energy roadmap; no action taken

Escondido City Council received an informational presentation on a proposed citywide energy roadmap from Deputy City Manager and Director of Development Services Jan Escobedo and consultants from Climate Tech, who outlined a prioritized scope of projects intended to modernize aging systems, reduce utility spending and provide backup power for critical facilities. There was no required action at the meeting.

The roadmap matters because the city currently spends about $9,000,000 annually on SDG&E utility charges and staff told the council those costs have risen more than 40% over five years; presenters said that trend—combined with regulatory and insurance pressures—could continue and increase long-term operating and capital pressure on the general fund and enterprise funds.

Climate Tech and staff presented a two-stage, design-build approach: (1) finalize a detailed assessment and scope based on the pilot and staff input, then (2) implement prioritized projects. The consultant said the prioritized scope the city heard that night is preliminarily estimated at $50–70 million and represents roughly a third of a broader assessed need of about $150 million across eight categories including HVAC and building automation, lighting, roofing, water and wastewater process…