Renew America Success Stories

Kansas City Energy Efficiency Partnership

Description

The Kansas City Energy Efficiency Partnership (KCEEP) is a public and private sector partnership designed to reduce energy consumption in metropolitan-area government and nonprofit buildings by 25%. The program will help participants make the most beneficial economic choices regarding energy consumption, while promoting environmental health and sustainability.

In 1992, the Missouri Statewide Energy Study found that Missourians spend nearly $10 billion each year on energy costs, much of which could be saved if more efficient practices in buildings, transportation systems and communities were adopted. Potential efficiency partners began looking to see where the most signficant opportunities for improvement lay. They soon realized that public and nonprofit facilities often use their energy resources most inefficiently because their limited resources restrict investments in efficient capital improvements. Yet, because these institutions are funded through donations and tax dollars, a compelling case can be made that they are the ones that can least afford energy waste.  KCEEP was born to help provide the assistance these institutions need to use resources more sustainably.

KCEEP has positioned itself as a one-stop center for metropolitan area government and nonprofit agencies to reduce their energy consumption with the least amount of hassle and the most amount of support and technical assistance. Interested agencies receive a free preliminary analysis. If this analysis reveals a significant potential for energy and other resource savings, a second comprehensive analysis is completed at client cost. It is anticipated that there will be enough dollars recovered in energy savings to pay the entire costs of making and financing the analysis and any improvements.  The typical payback time is estimate to be three to ten years.

The program's primary goal isto conduct 750 preliminary energy assessments in the target facilities during its first five years of operation. Its secondary goal is to stimulate the energy-efficiency improvement industry in the metropolitan area in order to create more business, investment opportunities and environmentally-friendly jobs for the local economy.

Program Highlights

• A preliminary analysis, provided at no client cost, is conducted to review of energy bills, to examine building operations and to analyze energy use in the building.
• Assuming the results of the preliminary analysis are favorable, a Comprehensive Energy Analysis of the building is carried out by technical engineering and support staff. The cost of the analysis, paid for by the client, will be recovered through future energy savings.
• A menu of energy-efficiency financing options from both the public and private sector is made available to each client.
• The KCEEP maintains a list of qualified energy service companies and other technical service providers.

Vital Statistics

Program Management/Partnerships: The Kansas City Energy Efficiency Partnership is a project of the Metropolitan Energy Center in partneship with the states of Missouri and Kansas, various agencies of the federal government, local governments, local utilities, the United Way, the Mid America Regional Council, private energy-efficiency businesses, private financial institutions and financing authorities in both states.

Budget: The program's total budget is $33 million over five years, with $32 million dedicated to improvements and $1 million dedicated to operating costs.

Community Served: The program will serve government and agencies, and the residents these agencies serve, in 114 municipalities located in Missouri and Kansas.

Measures of Success:

Over five years, the goal of the program is to conduct 750 energy audits and reduce total energy consumption in metropolitan-area government and nonprofit buildings by 25%.

Published: May 1997

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