“We have a short list of capital improvements and upgrades, for things like HVAC systems, that will help us a great deal,” said Mark Charles, Dayton’s sustainability manager.
Dayton’s commercial and institutional sector accounted for about 44% of the city’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2019, according to an analysis funded by Power a Clean Ohio Future that used information from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s local greenhouse gas inventory tool.
Greenhouse gases like carbon and methane trap heat in the atmosphere, causing the earth to warm.
Residential activities were responsible for nearly one-third of Dayton’s emissions, while the industrial sector accounted for nearly a quarter, according to the analysis by the consultant, UNPREDICTABLEcity, obtained by this newspaper.
Personal transportation and electric use were the leading contributors on the residential side — both causing about 36% of residential emissions.
About half of commercial and institutional emissions were from the use of electricity and natural gas.
Across Dayton, energy use by buildings and facilities generated about two-thirds of emissions, while vehicles were to blame for about 24%.
Dayton pledged to complete a greenhouse gas inventory as part of a climate emergency declaration city leaders approved last year.
Dayton leaders and officials say the city must do more to curb emissions and try to prevent an impending climate disaster that could lead to severe weather events like flash flooding and droughts.
The analysis found that city facilities and operations produce about 14% of Dayton’s emissions — and about half come from the wastewater treatment facility.
But the study found that the city’s per-capita emissions are lower than the national average, said Charles, the sustainability manager. Dayton also plans to make new investments and launch new initiatives to combat climate change.
The city is exploring possibly selling biogas generated by the wastewater treatment plant that officials say right now is burned and wasted.
“Methane is the ... most potent of greenhouse gases, and our historical practice is to flare that up into the atmosphere — very helpful for climate change,” Charles said. “We think it’s a valuable product. ... We think there’s a seven-figure revenue stream associated with that.”
The city is restarting its energy aggregation program, which is expected to lower most Dayton residents’ electric bills, Charles said, and 100% of the electricity will come from out-of-state hydropower, which is a renewable energy source.
The city hired a consultant to study installing solar panels on its two closed golf courses. Officials say solar arrays on Kittyhawk Golf Center could provide energy to the drinking water plant across the street at 3210 Chuck Wagner Lane.
Dayton also has swapped out street lights it owns with LED technology, and the city is working toward expanding the local network of electric vehicle charging stations.
Dayton also is completing energy audits of 18 of its buildings, which should identify opportunities to upgrade equipment and systems.
The bipartisan infrastructure bill Congress approved last year could provide funding for some green projects.
“The federal government hopefully will send some money our way for some of these things, because they affect everyone,” said Dayton City Commissioner Matt Joseph. “I’m excited to see what happens next.”
The city also wants to convert its fleet of more than 900 vehicles to electric cars and trucks by 2035, though that could happen more quickly than that.
On Wednesday, the Dayton City Commission is expected to vote on a purchase order to acquire the city’s first all-electric pick-up truck, said Dayton City Manager Shelley Dickstein.
“It’s the first of several to come,” she said.
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