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Ojai hires Climate Tech to scope citywide electrification program; council urges rapid progress
Summary
Climate Tech presented a preliminary citywide energy modernization scope — electrifying heating, upgrading lighting, and targeted solar+storage — that staff say can be largely financed with federal and state incentives; council directed staff and Climate Tech to proceed as quickly as practical to capture incentives and finalize a funding plan.
City staff and Climate Tech presented a preliminary plan to modernize Ojai’s municipal buildings and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by electrifying fossil‑fuel equipment, upgrading lighting to LED, connecting HVAC to building automation and deploying solar plus battery storage at selected city sites.
Climate Tech described a program focused on four areas: HVAC electrification and controls, full LED lighting conversions, selected building‑envelope measures (film/insulation where cost effective), and solar plus battery installations at sites with the best return (Sarasota campus, Libby Bowl, and the skate park). Climate Tech estimated that a government‑code 4217 design‑build service could deliver a package in the approximate $2.5–3.0 million range that would be largely paid for by a combination of federal Inflation Reduction Act incentives, Clean Power Alliance funds and state/local rebates, with an approximate 40% net incentive at qualifying sites in Ojai’s region.
Council members and community commenters urged the city to move quickly to capture incentives, noting equipment lead times and the July deadline for registering certain Inflation Reduction Act benefits. Public commenters and a member of the community who monitors city spending said the city should act expeditiously to capture federal funds while they are available. Climate Tech said it would proceed with detailed engineering at risk to meet incentive windows and proposed a 12–18 month construction timeline once the program is mobilized.
Council voted to authorize staff to proceed with finalizing the scope and funding plan and to move expeditiously to capture available incentives; the motion passed on roll call.
What’s next: Climate Tech will finalize a scope, confirm not‑to‑exceed pricing via detailed engineering and procurement due diligence, and return to council with a financing plan and guaranteed performance terms before construction.
