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ABM reports verified energy savings at Rio Vista facilities, but rising rates limit dollar gains
Summary
An ABM representative told the Rio Vista City Council that energy-efficiency upgrades have cut municipal electricity use by hundreds of thousands of kilowatt‑hours annually, but higher PG&E rates have kept dollar savings smaller than usage drops imply.
Derek Craigstein of ABM told the Rio Vista City Council on Feb. 4 that pre‑project baseline usage across the city buildings ABM reviewed exceeded 2,000,000 kilowatt‑hours per year and that ABM’s verified reduction for the initial sites was 377,000 kilowatt‑hours annually. He said the city achieved more than 570,000 kilowatt‑hours of savings across four major facilities in the last year, with the Northwest water wastewater treatment plant and the Beach wastewater treatment plant the largest users.
"The systems are performing well," Craigstein said, describing improvements that included added solar, power‑factor correction, HVAC controls, lighting upgrades and window film. He showed that usage at the Northwest plant dropped from about 933,000 kilowatt‑hours to roughly 529,000 in the period reviewed.
Craigstein cautioned that lower usage has not translated into directly proportional dollar savings because electricity rates from the utility have risen. He gave an example showing rates climbing from roughly 16¢/kWh in earlier years to the mid‑30¢ range in the most recent period, producing smaller net cost reductions than the usage decline alone would suggest.
Councilmembers asked for follow‑up calculations that hold the price per kilowatt‑hour constant so the council can quantify the value of usage reductions independent of utility price changes. Craigstein said ABM will provide a slide and a separate calculation showing hypothetical dollar savings were historic rates applied to current usage and will include the city’s full measures‑verification report when it is ready this month.
In discussion after the presentation, council members and staff flagged building‑specific issues—higher lift‑station usage tied to new housing developments, thermostat programming at City Hall, and the need to right‑size HVAC tonnage when units are replaced. ABM and city staff said they would supply a facility‑level breakdown and confirm the scope of deferred maintenance included in the contract documents.
The presentation closed with ABM urging the city to maintain controls and occupancy‑based settings so measured efficiencies continue to deliver benefits. Council requested the dollar‑savings calculation and the full post‑installation report for distribution to the council and public works staff.
