Kansas City, Missouri – Kansas City has received a $9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy in a major step towards environmental sustainability. Sourced from the Inflation Reduction Act, this money aims to improve energy efficiency and lower greenhouse gas emissions in current city structures. Mayor Quinton Lucas declared that the grant money obtained marks a turning point in the city’s effort towards carbon neutrality since it much exceeds the initial request of $3.8 million.
Mayor Lucas expressed his enthusiasm about the grant.
“With the generous funding awarded to us from the Inflation Reduction Act, I am proud we are now able to accelerate our work to create a more sustainable and resilient Kansas City,” said Mayor Lucas. “When we focus on improving the performance of our existing building stock, we can make meaningful progress toward our climate neutrality goals, while putting cash back in pockets of building owners, creating hundreds of jobs, and enhancing the health and quality of life for all Kansas Citians.”
The grant will be used for the creation and execution of a building performance standards (BPS) program. This project targets big buildings, thus enabling owners to better control their energy consumption. Targeting current buildings and requiring continuous improvements to satisfy certain energy and emission targets, the BPS policy deviates from standard building codes.
Andrew Savastino, Kansas City’s Chief Environmental Officer, highlighted the transformative potential of the grant:
“Kansas City is honored and excited about this funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of Energy. The goal of this grant is to help building owners understand and track energy use in large buildings and to elevate those buildings to be higher performing through upgrades and improvements that impact energy efficiency, safety, indoor air quality, and occupant comfort while decreasing citywide greenhouse gas emissions,” said Chief Environmental Officer Andrew Savastino.
At 18% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions from heating, cooling, and power, buildings are a major contributor of emissions. Kansas City wants to cut building energy use by up to 30% by with focusing on improvements, therefore saving significant electricity costs and generating more general environmental advantages.
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Involving building owners, tenants, and many stakeholders from the construction, energy, and community sectors, the city intends a cooperative approach to implement the BPS program. The three-year effort is scheduled to see the city compile data, create the policy, and supervise its implementation.
The initiative will also focus on workforce development, providing job training and skill enhancement to foster a green workforce, which will be crucial in implementing and sustaining the BPS policy. Ensuring the efficacy and equity of the policy will depend mostly on cooperation with nearby companies such as Metropolitan Energy Center and Building Energy Exchange Kansas City.
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Kansas City links its environmental plans with its long-term climate goals, therefore enabling a carbon-neutral future by means of greatly reduced electricity and natural gas usage in commercial and public buildings by 2040.
