The City of Ithaca has announced the first phase of building electrification projects as part of its commitment to following through on the goals of the Ithaca Green New Deal (IGND). The IGND was initially passed by the Common Council in 2019 and provides an outline for the City to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030.
On February 2, Ithaca’s Office of Sustainability announced and showcased a portfolio of 10 commercial buildings set for full electrification in the coming months, representing a noteworthy $1.9 million investment in clean energy.
Director of Sustainability for the City of Ithaca, Rebecca Evans, expressed her enthusiasm for the city's progress, saying, "It's a vote of confidence that community leaders, like those represented in this cohort, take this big step in decarbonizing their operations, and I’m sure many will follow in their trailblazing footsteps." Evans highlighted the collaborative effort involving the City of Ithaca, BlocPower, and various community partners.
The electrification initiative is a significant advancement for the "Built Environment" aspect of the IGND, as outlined in the Ithaca Green New Deal Scorecard. This component covers all aspects of where residents live, work, and socialize, emphasizing homes, offices, businesses, hospitals, places of worship, schools, stores, and more.
During 2023, the city focused on non-residential buildings to capitalize on a recently expired incentive from New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG) as part of its NYS Clean Heat Rebate Program. This incentive facilitated the installation of heat pumps in gas-constrained areas, aligning with the city's broader electrification goals.
The financial backbone of this initiative comes from BlocPower, the designated clean technology partner working with the City of Ithaca. Over the last year, BlocPower has successfully implemented several building electrification projects and weatherization upgrades throughout the City.
BlocPower program manager Ethan Bodnaruk said, "The City of Ithaca continues to lay the groundwork for what a successful city-wide decarbonization movement looks like. This movement, and the city, are crucial to inspiring other cities and jurisdictions."
One of the pivotal aspects of this electrification initiative is the substantial financial support provided to building owners. Of the $1.9 million clean energy investment, nearly $1.4 million is subsidized through eligible state and federal incentives. This translates to significant savings for building owners, covering two-thirds of the installation and upgrade costs. For the buildings where data is available, these energy upgrades are estimated to result in the avoidance of nearly 680 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually, according to EPA estimates.
The names and locations of the commercial buildings selected for electrification exemplify the diversity of the initiative:
Gimme Coffee, 506 W. State St. (café and roastery)
Significant Elements, 212 Center St. (nonprofit architectural warehouse)
Historic Ithaca, 210 Center St. (nonprofit cultural organization)
Ithaca Piercing & Tattoo, 120 S. Cayuga St. (retail)
First Baptist Church, 309 N. Cayuga St. (place of worship)
St. James AME, 116 Cleveland Ave. (place of worship)
Lifelong Senior Center, 119 W. Court St. (nonprofit)
Aeroplane Factory, 120 Brindley Street (office spaces)
Circus Culture, 123 W State Street (cultural organization)
Ithaca Area Wastewater Treatment Plant Administrative Building, 525 Third St. (municipal building)
Petrune and Home Green Home, 126-128 E State St (retail)
Evans emphasized the city's collective efforts in laying a foundation for the electrification program and highlighted the tangible results of this initiative. She stated, "Electrify Ithaca has come a long way since 2022, and we’re finally seeing the results of the hard payoff." Evans credited the collaboration with BlocPower and numerous community partners for the success, underscoring their dedication to building a sustainable future for Ithaca.
The Ithaca Green New Deal, representing the city's commitment to addressing climate change, social injustice, and economic inequality, strives for carbon neutrality and climate justice by 2030. Notable achievements include the adoption of the Ithaca Energy Code Supplement, mandating net-zero energy requirements for all new buildings by 2026, and launching the Electrify Ithaca program.
In addition to the electrification initiative, the IGND has completed comprehensive greenhouse gas inventories, capturing the entire lifecycle of methane and emissions from the electric grid. Evans said the City hired sustainability planner Savannah Vega to lead this initiative.
As the city enters the six-year mark from its 2030 deadline, Evans said, “2030 feels closer and closer every day, and I'm starting to feel the heat on my feet.”
Evans emphasized the importance of completing the Climate Action Plan, which lays out existing conditions, drivers of climate change, and mitigation strategies. According to Evans, “It outlines how to achieve and successfully implement those strategies.” The plan is anticipated to come before the committee and council within the next two months, providing a roadmap for achieving carbon neutrality.
Another pivotal aspect of Ithaca's strategy for significant emissions reductions involves Community Choice Aggregation (CCA), which involves residents purchasing energy in bulk to lower energy prices. Ultimately, CCA aims to create a local micro-grid that powers the community through carbon-free energy.
However, Evans has said that progress on CCA has been stalled as the community is “waiting on regulatory processes that are managed by the state…so we're in a little bit of a holding period for now for that program." Despite the setback, Evans expressed optimism that once CCA is launched, it will substantially reduce emissions.
When asked about how emissions are measured, Evans explained a straightforward calculation. By converting energy use data, whether from vehicle miles traveled, natural gas burned for heating, or electricity use, into metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents, the city can quantify its carbon footprint. This method provides a comprehensive understanding of greenhouse gas emissions beyond just carbon.
Evans explained why the year 2030 was set as the target year for carbon neutrality. She referenced the 2018 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, highlighting the global need for immediate action. The report emphasized the critical nature of keeping global temperature rise under 1.5 degrees Celsius to avoid severe consequences. In that report, 2030 was identified as the decisive year for significant emissions cuts.
According to Evans, “The United Nations' Coalition on climate change put out a report that…said that we need to keep the global temperature rise under one and a half degrees Celsius [by 2030] or we're going to be facing some scary consequences all over the world."
Evans also touched upon the concept of climate justice, emphasizing the importance of ensuring that the benefits of climate action are shared equitably across all communities. The city's plan, Justice 50, prioritizes underserved communities, and Evans encouraged community involvement to advocate for these populations. Additionally, Evans said, “Within our Justice 50 plan, it also prioritizes direct financial investment in those communities."
According to the Ithaca Green New Deal scorecard, “The City has committed to direct a minimum of 50% of IGND funds invested to Climate Justice communities.” However, the scorecard indicates that Justice 50 is currently “stalled” because “the City has not achieved the second sub-goal to establish Justice50 Implementation Guidelines. These guidelines will determine how the City will ensure that 50% of IGND investment is directed to Climate Justice Communities.”
Addressing the broader community, Evans highlighted the need to normalize conversations around climate change. Rather than prescribing individual actions as the solution to this global issue, the focus should be on identifying the most significant contributing factor and working to address it. "There's no prescription of how to mitigate climate change,” Evans said, “It's more of how do we bring the climate conversation to the dinner table? How do we make this a regular conversation so it's not about something scary and depressing."
In addition, Evans said that by translating existing passions and skills into climate work, everyone can contribute to the broader goal of saving the environment. "It's more of a translation of what you already care about into a new or different context,” Evans said.
The City of Ithaca is making progress on its ambitious Green New Deal initiatives, and these electrification projects stand as a testament to the city's commitment to creating a sustainable community. The progress made in electrifying these commercial buildings not only reduces carbon emissions but also sets a precedent for other cities and jurisdictions to follow in the pursuit of a greener future.
As Ithaca strives for carbon neutrality by 2030, the City is positioning itself as a leader in sustainable practices, contributing to the broader global effort to combat climate change.
(3) comments
Cost of electricity by state (cents per kilowatt hour):
New York 19.3
Arizona 13.2
Texas 11.4
Florida 11.3
Tennessee 10.8
Ithaca economy circling the figurative drain. Let’s throw a figurative anvil into the boat. Capitalists far from Ithaca might be deciding to stop funding the Cornell woke experiment. If and when they do, Ithaca will trend even faster towards Elmira/Owego/Penn Yann.
Full electrification means more dependence on the power grid as the source of energy. But the power grid is already taxed to the max at times and itand its transmission lines will need to be upgraded as EV vehicles need charging. Where will that power come from if we don't build power plants? Some of them may be carbon sourced. And it is a myth that when people who pay for green energy plug in to the grid they are getting clean energy. Utility transmission mix together all sources of power, no matter how derived, so the power that comes out of your outlet could even be from coal and carbon.
Mr Baginski and Mr Kramer are right again as usual. Thank you both for responding.
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