Keeling Curve

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Project Summary / Description:

PACE helps diverse towns and cities take action to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and conduct community campaigns to meet resident needs. PACE has an expanding energy model that gives communities granular data on their current energy usage and GHG emissions. This model, alongside PACE consultation, helps community advocates understand how to reduce these emissions in tangible ways. Moving forward, PACE is working toward an online “dashboard,” the Clean Energy Action Center, which will be available to all CT residents, giving underrepresented groups the tools and information to prioritize their efforts and get the support they desire. The Clean Energy Action Center will launch this fall with GIS layering, including visual mapping of environmental justice neighborhoods. 

This model and its insights enable towns and cities to target investments in efficiency, electrification, and solar to underserved and vulnerable populations. Communities working with PACE will:
Use the model’s detailed building data to identify residential buildings in environmental justice (EJ) communities with inadequate insulation and air sealing.
Identify residences in underserved communities lacking adequate air conditioning, which makes them susceptible to extreme heat events (by far the largest source of climate-related mortality). 
Identify buildings appropriate for solar to lessen energy burdens for residents of distressed communities. 

PACE has a strong track record of using data to benefit environmental justice communities across over forty towns in Connecticut. PACE has conducted “HeatSmart” campaigns to promote heat pumps, employing data to reach landlords about energy efficiency programs, reduce building emissions, and improve living conditions for tenants. PACE is committed to transitioning CT to energy efficiency, electrification, clean renewable energy, and environmental justice. Once launched, the Clean Energy Action Center is replicable to support additional EJ communities across other states as well. 

PACE energy modeling can provide the total energy consumption within a community or sector. Using highly granular data from local property tax rolls, the “grand lists,” the PACE database now lists every building and nearly every vehicle in the state. PACE has incorporated publicly available data on energy usage and the deployment of electric vehicles, heat pumps, and solar. This model enables PACE to conduct detailed analyses of energy usage, including:
Prioritizing residential buildings with inadequate insulation and air sealing and those lacking adequate air conditioning
identifying buildings appropriate for solar to lessen energy burdens for residents.
All CT cities and towns data are now included fully in the PACE energy model. 

As a result, PACE can help communities understand their current energy usage and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and how to reduce them significantly. Communities can target investments in efficiency, electrification, and solar. 

Using data-driven decision-making, CT can address historic environmental injustices and create an inclusive green economy. PACE has worked with over forty Connecticut towns, helping them to create focused, fact-based climate action plans and develop local campaigns to steer investments to where they can have the greatest impact.

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How Project Affects Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions:

The Action Center is a tool that increases the adoption of efficiency measures and renewable energy. Its impact will be a measurable increase in programs and technology deployment. We anticipate the impact will increase as the Action Center is incorporated into more towns and cities. 

PACE believes that the Action Center could increase the adoption of business programs across the state by at least 5%. That would amount to another 2 million dollars and 7,000 tons of CO2 reduction. We have seen successful business programs in Branford and Wilton and believe there is substantial upside to the 5% estimate.

This effect is cumulative—as each year passes, the savings from past years remain and are increased by the subsequent year’s additions.

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Impact on Underrepresented Groups:

As described above, PACE is devoted to helping towns and cities take action to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Central to our work is a unique, granular energy model that gives each town an understanding of their current energy usage and GHG emissions, and how to reduce these emissions in visible, tangible ways. This model, and the insights it provides, enable towns and cities to target investments in efficiency, electrification and solar to underserved and vulnerable populations. Examples include:
•	Using the model’s detailed building data to identify residential buildings in environmental justice (EJ) communities with inadequate insulation and air sealing.
•	Identifying residences in underserved communities lacking adequate air conditioning, thereby susceptible to extreme heat events (by far the largest source of climate-related mortality). 
•	Identifying buildings appropriate for solar to lessen energy burdens for residents of distressed communities. 

PACE has a demonstrable track record in using this data in our work with over forty towns in Connecticut. For example, we have conducted “HeatSmart” campaigns to promote heat pumps, employing this data in campaigns to do outreach to landlords about energy efficiency programs, not only reducing building emissions but also improving living conditions for tenants.

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