The City of Fort Lauderdale is actively working towards meeting its energy usage reduction goals. We do this from two vantage points. First, we believe in leading from out front. This means that we are actively pursuing reduction of electricity usage in all City facilities and operations. Second, we are looking at community electricity use on a grand scale.

Electricity Usage in City Buildings and Operations

We monitor our electricity use data, provided on a monthly basis by the Florida Power and Light Company (FPL), to track our progress and calculate the greenhouse gas emissions that result from the electricity usage.  The goal, as stated in the Sustainability Action Plan (SAP) 2011 Update, is to reduce City electricity use by 20% from the 2010 baseline by the year 2020. 

In 2020, the City reduced its electrical use by 7,690 Megawatt-hours, a 7.33% reduction from our 2010 baseline year.  The City is making progress towards our goal through efforts like switching the lights in City Hall from conventional light bulbs to LED lights, installation of programmable thermostats, and higher-efficiency motors at its water utilities.  However, there is more work ahead of us in order to further reduce consumption. Check back to this page for updated information.

Community Electricity Use

Regarding community operations, electrical usage data is provided annually by FPL. Our goal is to reduce residential electricity use by ten percent from the 2010 baseline by 2020 (from 1,185,194 Megawatt-hours to 1,066,675 Megawatt-hours). In 2013, residential electricity decreased to 1,151,868 Megawatt-hours, almost a 3% reduction from the baseline.  The Smart Watts program that year, which educated residents on energy saving techniques and offered rebates to homeowners who made energy-efficient home improvements, contributed to the reduction in residential electricity use. Changes in the economy and the development of new, more energy-efficient building elements and methods have been the main causes of the change.

The Future

We'd like to continue to encourage, support and even reward reduced electricity usage. Two ways that we are investigating are Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) and Energy Service Companies (ESCO). Stay tuned for more information soon about our participation in these initiatives. In the meantime, you can read more about these innovative programs by clicking on the boxes at right.