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Rio Vista hears ABM report verifying large electricity savings but rising rates blunt dollar gains
Summary
ABM told the City Council it verified a roughly 377,000 kWh reduction at audited facilities and said four sites accounted for most city consumption; staff and the consultant warned that higher utility rates have reduced the dollar value of those savings.
Derek Craigstein of ABM told the Rio Vista City Council on Feb. 4 that the firm's measurement-and-verification work found an actual, verified electricity reduction of 377,000 kilowatt-hours annually across the buildings ABM reviewed. "The actual verified reduction, was 377,000 kilowatt hours annually," Craigstein said during a slide presentation showing pre- and post-project usage.
Craigstein said the city's portfolio used just over 2 million kWh a year before the upgrades and that the four largest consumers (the Northwest wastewater treatment plant, the Beach wastewater plant, 748 River Road and the Liberty lift station) account for roughly 86% of the measured usage. He told the council the improvements have performed at or above the guaranteed levels and that "the achieved reduction across those 4 locations saved over 570,000 kilowatt hours" last year.
But Craigstein and staff cautioned that lower consumption has not translated to proportionate dollar reductions because the price charged per kilowatt-hour has risen. Using the Northwest plant as an example, he showed usage down from ~933,000 kWh to ~529,000 kWh but costs that remained elevated because the city's per-kWh rate climbed from about 16'¢ to the mid-30'¢ range over recent years. Craigstein said ABM will deliver a follow-up calculation showing "what the value would have been had the original rate remained stable," and staff said they would circulate that illustration to the council.
Council members asked several operational questions, including why the Airport Road (Liberty) lift station showed an increase in 2024; public-works staff suggested new housing and different occupancy patterns likely explain the jump and said they would investigate further. ABM said a final phase-2 post-installation report and the city's full annual measure-and-verification packet will be provided this month.
The presentation was informational; council did not take formal action. Staff said projected Phase 2 savings total roughly 230,000 kWh annually and that contract documents include detailed pre/post usage breakdowns for each facility.
