By Erin Rugland

The City of Peoria recently finalized a contract with energy efficiency and renewable energy company, Ameresco, Inc. This partnership will include energy efficiency retrofits of thirteen different city facilities, as well as solar photovoltaic installations at eight different sites in the City.

In addition to these projects, two sites in Peoria will become Net Zero: the Sunrise Mountain Library and Fire Station 191. This means that the buildings' energy usage will be roughly equal to the renewable energy produced on-site.

Two additional sites will be "unofficially" Net Zero. Fire Station 196 and Pinnacle Peak Patrol Services Building are within 10% of the size required to confidently be deemed Net Zero, but will produce energy similarly to the true Net Zero sites.

Lisa Estrada, the City of Peoria’s Economic Efficiency and Sustainability Manager, has been working for the City for over 10 years and has had significant involvement in the SCN Steering Committee and Solar & Energy Efficiency Workgroup. She has helped to work behind-the-scenes in the City to prepare for this contract with Ameresco, utilizing knowledge gleaned from SCN and other city participants.

According to Ms. Estrada, “Being part of ASU’s Sustainable Cities Network provides a forum in which we can learn from each others’ successes. Ideas begin to formulate here at SCN and with hard work and persistence, these ideas eventually can lead to a great project like this one. I’m always inspired by the collective knowledge and expertise in the room. SCN has definitely been integral to our success in Peoria.”

The City of Peoria’s upcoming projects are completely self-funded and will take the City even further toward achieving its sustainability goals. Click here to read more about the City of Peoria’s energy efficiency efforts.