County building energy costs increase despite significant reductions in natural gas, electricity use

their Green Facilities Policy effective in 2013. The policy outlined the steps the county could take to reduce carbon emissions from county buildings, and led to the 2022 initiation of the Green Facilities Capital Project. 

Twelve years later, the county has begun to reap what it sowed with natural gas and electricity usage falling between 2023 and 2024, as the various Green Building Project strategies have taken shape. 

County facilities used nearly 4.7 million kilowatt-hours of electricity in 2024, which is enough to power nearly 700 New York homes for one year. This figure represents a 3% drop in electricity use since 2023, said Terry Carroll, the chief sustainability officer for the county, at a meeting of the legislature last month. 

More significantly, county facilities used 32% less natural gas in 2024 than the year prior. These facilities also used 146,359 Therms of natural gas, which is equivalent to the amount of natural gas used in around 280 New York households for one year. 

“I do think this is somewhat a reflection of some of the green facilities efforts that we’re undertaking,” Carroll said during the meeting.

However, the reduction in energy use has not corresponded with a drop in cost. Between 2023 and 2024, the county saw a 21% increase in energy costs, according to data provided during Carroll’s presentation. This is reflective of the overall rise in energy costs, something Carroll said made the Green Facilities Project “even more imperative” in 2022. 

What is the Green Facilities Capital Project? 

Through the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) Flexible Technical Assistance Program, the city partnered with Johnson Controls, an energy services company, to develop a three-phase program to determine the most effective path toward decarbonization. 

Some ways Tompkins County can decarbonize are by reducing its reliance on fossil fuels, such as replacing gas powered heaters with heat pumps or by replacing coal and gas fired power plants with renewable energy sources such as solar panels and wind turbines. 

The three-phase capital project accompanying the new energy strategy, which was updated in 2019, earmarked $28 million for the county to reach net zero emissions by 2030, Carroll said. The county will reach net zero when the amount of greenhouse gas emitted by county facilities and its fleet is offset by the amount of emissions removed from the atmosphere.

The first phase of the program began in 2022, touching “almost every one of our buildings,” Carroll said. That included upgrading to LED lights, improving insulation and water efficiency, replacing rooftop heating units at the Tompkins County Public Library, and a large geothermal energy project at the county’s Public Works facility, among others.

This phase was initially intended to cost $7 million, Carroll said, but as the project moved through the design phase, some projects were moved forward from later phases and others pushed back. The schedule changes, plus COVID-19 related budgetary constraints and supply chain shortages caused the phase’s budget to double, Carroll said. 

The county still has $14 million available for the rest of the project, however. These funds, Carroll said, can still be allocated for projects should the county choose to do so. 

Now in the second phase of the project, county officials intend to replace the existing boilers at the Human Services building with more efficient boilers and to install a 132 kW solar array at the Tompkins County Whole Health building. These projects are set to be completed by the end of the year.

While the cost of the boiler replacement would be between $500,000 and $600,000 and the solar array is estimated to cost around $1 million, Carroll said phase two has not used any additional funds above the $14 million that went into phase one. 

Carroll said phase two has thus far been paid for by rebates and grant funds obtained during phase one, or through the Clean Energy Communities Program, which helps communities IN New York state access funding for clean energy. 

The development of the geothermal energy project during phase one allowed the county to apply for clean energy tax credits totalling around $1.7 million. While the county was set to receive this money by early 2025, the IRS finally awarded the total figure in late May, with an included “surprise” of just over $43,000 in interest.

Additionally, the county has electrified nearly a third of the vehicle fleet. 

Phase three of the project is up in the air, and neither the scope or timeline of the project has been decided at this time.