"Energy efficiency is a top priority for meeting San Francisco's environmental goals, I am proud that our city supports and continues to develop innovative ways to reduce consumption and improve standards for the health, well being, and future of San Francisco."
-Gavin Newsom, Former Mayor of San Francisco
The City and County of San Francisco have set an ambitious - yet achievable - greenhouse gas reduction goal of 20 percent below 1990 levels by the year 2012. To reach this goal, everyone living or working in San Francisco will need to reduce almost two tons of carbon dioxide annually. In addition, San Francisco joined with over 1,100 cities in over 70 countries worldwide to participate in the Cities for Climate Protection Campaign and was the first city in the nation to certify its carbon emissions through the California Climate Registry.
Download the Climate Action Plan for San Francisco to learn more about San Francisco's commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
San Francisco's Department of the Environment currently provides energy efficiency services to San Francisco businesses and property owners through the San Francisco Energy Watch program. The program provides:
Launched in 2007, San Francisco Energy Watch is serving over 900 businesses and multifamily property owners each year, resulting in an average savings for each of $4,500 in energy bills annually. The program also created or sustained 175 Bay Area Green Collar jobs, which continue to grow. Since 2007, the program has reduced San Francisco’s electricity demand by over 11 megawatts, which is enough electricity to power over 11,000 San Francisco residences for a year. San Francisco Energy Watch expects to eliminate the City’s need for 3 megawatts of power each year to continue reducing emissions from power plants supplying our electricity.
The City of San Francisco is committed to meet the Climate Challenge because it understands the possible impacts, including:
A three-foot rise in sea level would set San Francisco Airport (SFO), Treasure Island, and Giants' stadium totally or partially under water and would compromise major regional transportation. Contact us to learn how you can reduce your business' impact on the environment.
As shown on the San Francisco Peak Power Demand chart, the forecast of electricity load growth indicates an increase to 1077 megawatts by 2012 for the City of San Francisco.
The statewide peak occurs in the late afternoon on summer days, but San Francisco experiences its hottest days in late spring or the fall, not during summer. It also cools faster than the rest of the state. As a result, summer peak demand occurs between noon and 2 p.m. rather than in late afternoon.
San Francisco also has a unique winter evening peak that, in some years, is greater than the hot midday peak in summers. This occurs on cold, usually rainy days between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. as office workers gradually depart for the day. At the same time, residential electricity demand rises as more people begin using lights, appliances, computers, TVs and other electronic entertainment equipment at home. On these cold evenings, San Franciscans also tend to turn on electric resistance heaters--creating the need for an additional 80-90 MW of power citywide. This combination of high residential use at the same time office buildings remain lit for workers staying late and janitorial staff results in the winter evening peak period, which begins to drop off after 7 p.m.
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The transportation sector accounts for 55% of San Francisco’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The building sector makes up the remainder and is broken down into:
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