Washoe County and City of Reno Expand Commitment to Drive Climate Action and Policy in U.S. Municipalities, Creating Transparent Carbon Reduction Roadmaps

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Aug 10, 2022, 08:34 ET

Building on their partnership with nZero, Nevada municipalities are using 24/7 carbon data insights to inform progress towards climate goals

RENO, Nev., Aug. 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- nZero, the 24/7 carbon management platform that tracks and operationalizes energy, financial and greenhouse gas emissions data to help organizations reach climate change goals, is today announcing the expansion of their partnerships with the City of Reno and Washoe County. Last year, nZero began providing these municipalities access to their real-time, 24/7 emissions tracking data and introduced public emissions portals for the city and the county, setting new standards for transparent, accurate, and comprehensive monitoring of carbon footprints. Now, the City of Reno and Washoe County are expanding their commitments to climate action and are working with nZero to develop carbon reduction roadmaps.

Washoe County and Reno have aligned with the State of Nevada to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 28% from 2005 levels by the year 2025. While in the process of building out their own dedicated internal sustainability team, the County has relied on insights from nZero to map their path towards a more sustainable future. 2021 data available through the public portal from the nearly 100 sites in the platform revealed that most emissions in the County were generated from fleet vehicles, wastewater and detention facilities. These opportunities for decarbonization are proof points for several sustainability initiatives for the County and lay the groundwork for the informed carbon reduction plan nZero and the County will create together.

nZero's data has allowed for a granular cost-benefit analysis of County vehicle fleets, streetlights, LED lights in facilities, as well as building square footage. This deeper understanding of carbon emissions from buildings per square foot informed carbon reduction recommendations from nZero, in turn driving more accurate building energy and cost efficiency. The county has subsequently begun vehicle fleet automation to have a better view of vehicle performance and emissions as well as on-site solar installations to increase renewable energy sources.

"Reducing our carbon emissions will have positive, long term returns for the citizens of Washoe County. While we work to build out our sustainability team, nZero's insights and support have been invaluable to ensuring the County progresses towards our climate goals," said Kalie Work, Washoe County Recorder and sustainability champion. "We are aligned with the State of Nevada's greenhouse gas emissions reduction target but know there is more action we can take from a grassroots perspective. Thanks to the real time data we are tracking with nZero, we have the insights necessary to inform aggressive sustainability goals and emissions targets as we prepare our carbon reduction roadmap."

Rather than using nZero data to guide in the creation of a climate plan, the City of Reno has used the data to measure the effectiveness of their adopted Climate Plan. With more than 300 sites committed to submitting data to the public portal, nZero's data showed that the top three emissions sources for 2021 were vehicle fleets, streetlights, and the local police department.

Insights on fleets in the past year uncovered higher carbon-free energy usage in the summer and when charging electric vehicles during daytime hours, compared to the popular choice of overnight. Since these discoveries, the City's vehicle fleet is in the process of being fully automated to provide real time updates on its status and performance in order to align with the City's emissions goals. A cost-benefit analysis for streetlights also revealed they account for 23% of the city's emissions and that a transition to LED streetlights would reduce these emissions by 62% and save money each year. These learnings will help the City increase operational efficiencies, decrease outputs, and lower their carbon footprint. Leading by example, the City has also completed on-site solar installations to align with its goal of increasing renewable energy generation 15% by 2025.

"Our Climate Action Plan set the goal of reducing community-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 28% of 2008 levels by the year 2025. The accuracy of data provided by nZero allows us to position the City ahead of schedule so we reach our target greenhouse gas reduction numbers," said Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve. "The investment in our partnership with nZero is helping our climate goals become a reality for generations to come."

Looking to the future, the expanded partnership between the City of Reno and nZero will create a carbon reduction roadmap that helps the City implement their Sustainability and Climate Action Plan. The City's climate goals dovetail with high-level goals of financial sustainability, which are supported by cost-benefit analyses provided by nZero. Emissions data by square footage from all buildings will be normalized to create the most accurate recommendations based on efficiencies, and measurement of avoided emissions will be captured to visualize progress towards overall goals. In total, the City's greenhouse gas baseline will undergo analysis to determine progress towards the City's 2025 emissions reduction goals.

Like Reno's, Washoe County's goals for a carbon reduction roadmap are aggressive, and the County will work with nZero to determine aggressive emissions reduction numbers that have the potential to surpass the State of Nevada's emission targets.

"The dedication of Washoe County and the City of Reno is inspiring. Their commitment to being leaders in carbon tracking transparency and emissions reduction is hopefully the first step in a nationwide effort to fight climate change. Positive change is possible when armed with the right insight around source emissions, and the fight is just beginning," said Adam Kramer, CEO of nZero. "Taking the next step in the journey of sustainability by creating carbon reduction roadmaps will position these municipalities – and their residents – for success long-term."

To learn more about the Reno emissions portal, visit https://public.nzero.com/reno/. To learn more about the Washoe County emissions portal, visit https://public.nzero.com/washoe/.

About nZero
nZero is a 24/7 climate management platform that gives companies, cities and communities the accurate emissions data they need to reach net zero and make smart decisions that benefit the health of the planet. Unlike other carbon management offerings who rely on third-party data and opaque averages, nZero gathers accurate, first-party, contextual data into a comprehensive view, making it simple for organizations to pinpoint energy opportunities within their operations, easily implement carbon reduction actions, and spend smarter along the way.

About Washoe County
Washoe County is dedicated to quality public service, effective communication and integrity by enhancing the abundant quality of life in northern Nevada. Learn more at www.washoecounty.gov, and for questions about county programs and services, call Washoe311 at 3-1-1 (775-328-2003).

About the City of Reno
The City of Reno government's mission is creating a community that people are proud to call home. In order to achieve that purpose, the Reno City Council has established six Tier 1 priorities and seven Tier 2 priorities. To learn more about the City of Reno, visit Reno.gov or call 775-334-INFO (4636).

SOURCE nZero