Using Energy Performance Contracting to Advance Decarbonization and Resiliency in Local Governments: A County of Maui Case Study
- KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Published in Proceedings of the International Conference on Smart and Sustainable Built Environment (SASBE 2024), edited by Ali GhaffarianHoseini, Amirhosein GhaffarianHoseini, Farzad Rahimian and Mahesh Babu Purushothaman. Springer Nature, Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering, volume 591, 2025, pages 1583 to 1593. DOI 10.1007/978-981-96-4051-5_151.
Abstract
Energy Performance Contracting (EPC) can be used by local governments to contract energy services companies (ESCOs) to leverage energy savings to implement a wide-range of decarbonization and resiliency measures. Such measures not only reduce capital and operating costs, but can also lead to significant decarbonization and increased resiliency of built-environment and transportation assets. The County of Maui (CoM), Hawaii initiated an EPC program in 2018 which, in addition to cost savings, has resulted in significant advancements in decarbonization and resiliency. A literature review was conducted to identify best practices and lessons learned in EPC applied within local governments. A case study approach was also used based on the author’s direct experience serving as a lead member of a team within the CoM who planned and implemented EPC within the organization over a four-year period from 2018–2022. A qualitative and quantitative assessment of decarbonization and resiliency benefits achieved by the CoM through its EPC initiative was conducted, as well as best practices for project development and project management. The CoM’s EPC program resulted in advancing decarbonization and resiliency in operations and infrastructure. This EPC program has resulted in the implementation of substantial energy and water conservation measures, renewable energy and energy storage measures, and clean transportation measures that may otherwise not have been implemented or would have taken significantly longer to implement. To address deferred maintenance, public procurement obstacles, and a lack of available budgets, local governments should utilize EPC as an important tool to advance decarbonization, resiliency, and equity within their organizations and local communities.
Keywords
Session
Presented in Recorded Presentations, Session I, Friday 8 November 2024, 11:00 to 13:30, room WG 201, Auckland University of Technology. Session chair Dr Megan Burfoot.
How to Cite
de Roode, A. F. (2025). Using Energy Performance Contracting to Advance Decarbonization and Resiliency in Local Governments: A County of Maui Case Study. In A. GhaffarianHoseini, A. GhaffarianHoseini, F. Rahimian, & M. B. Purushothaman (Eds.), Proceedings of the International Conference on Smart and Sustainable Built Environment (SASBE 2024) (Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering, Vol. 591, pp. 1583–1593). Springer Nature Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-96-4051-5_151
About the Conference
Presented at SASBE 2024, the International Conference on Smart and Sustainable Built Environment, held in Auckland from 7 to 9 November 2024 and chaired by Professors Ali and Amirhosein GhaffarianHoseini, founders of GDI Academy. The version of record is published by Springer Nature; this page is the conference archive record kept by GDI Academy.