City of Omaha (NE) Making Public Buildings Energy Efficient

By sioannou, June 17, 2012

City committed to energy efficiency

The City of Omaha is committing to meet President Barack Obama’s Better Buildings Challenge by making city buildings more energy efficient, Mayor Jim Suttle announced Friday.

The national goal is to make public and private buildings 20 percent more energy efficient by 2020.

Omaha aims to meet that energy efficiency goal across 4 million square feet of space in 212 city buildings. That includes fire stations, police stations, libraries, community centers and public works facilities.

Kristi Wamstad-Evans, the city’s sustainability coordinator, said the city recently made energy upgrades at 25 city buildings and received a state grant to upgrade the lighting at a city parking garage.

The city also can save on energy costs by installing programmable thermostats, upgrading heating and air conditioning systems and promoting basic conservation, she said.

— Jeffrey Robb

Source: Omaha World Herald (http://www.omaha.com/article/20120616/NEWS01/120619795)