Avondale council accepts DOE technical assistance to audit municipal energy use

The Avondale City Council voted unanimously Sept. 23 to accept Department of Energy technical assistance under the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program to evaluate city facilities and develop an implementation plan for energy-efficiency projects.

The measure, moved by Council member White and recorded as Resolution No. 1098-0924, authorizes staff to take steps necessary to execute the agreement. The adoption was recorded as a 6–0 roll-call vote.

City presenters told the council the federal EECBG program was funded at about $550 million nationwide through the bipartisan infrastructure law and that Avondale’s formula allocation is “just over $138,000,” to be delivered in the form of technical-assistance vouchers. Kirk Steve, the presenter, said the DOE will select a technical-administration contractor to carry out the work, and the city expects the administrator to be named this fall.

The technical assistance package the city requested covers energy audits and planning for about 20 city-owned buildings, 26 wells and booster sites and eight parks. City staff and the presenter said planned deliverables include thorough energy audits, a comprehensive energy-efficiency plan, a multi-year implementation schedule, cost–benefit and return-on-investment analysis for proposed projects, and identification of potential funding sources.

Council members pressed staff on how the audits tie to the city’s stated sustainability targets — 80% renewable energy for city operations by 2035 and a 50% reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions by 2030 — and how fleet electrification or battery storage might be addressed. “Vehicle fleet represents about 15% of our municipal emissions; the electricity grid accounts for roughly 50%,” the city’s sustainability presenter said, noting the technical assistance is intended to help prioritize actions and determine whether subsequent capital or partnership investments are warranted.

Council member White asked whether the voucher approach allows the city to pursue additional funding later; staff said this particular formula award is one-time funding but that the technical-administrator’s work should identify further grant and incentive opportunities.

The motion recorded language authorizing acceptance “in the amount of $138,310,000,” which differs from earlier presentation comments that characterized the city’s allocation as roughly $138,000. City staff said the DOE will provide a technical-administrator assignment and that staff will return with the administrator’s plan and next steps once the contractor is on board.

The council’s vote sends the city into the next phase: selecting the contractor through DOE’s process, providing municipal data to the contractor, and receiving audits and a recommended implementation schedule. Council members asked staff to return with progress updates after the technical administrator is in place.