Aug. 27, 2024 — In August, the Office of Sustainability submitted campus energy efficiency data to the City of Atlanta for the first time in compliance with the city’s Commercial Building Energy Efficiency Ordinance, which requires public reporting of energy consumption in buildings over 25,000 square feet.

As a state institution, Georgia Tech has historically been exempt from participating in the program. The voluntary decision to participate this year aims to increase data transparency and support energy efficiency initiatives on and off campus.

“By sharing our data with the City of Atlanta, Georgia Tech can contribute to a citywide effort to reduce energy consumption, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and improve air quality,” said Jermaine Clonts, associate director of utilities in the Office of Sustainability. “This collaboration will not only support the university’s commitment to sustainability as described in the Climate Action Plan but will also inspire other institutions and universities to follow suit.”

This year, Georgia Tech selected energy efficiency data from a representative subset of property types which includes wet and dry labs, office buildings and classrooms. Future submissions will include more buildings on campus. 

The ordinance was originally enacted in 2015 and spearheaded by Georgia Tech’s Jairo Garcia. During his tenure as the Director of Climate Policies with the City of Atlanta, Jairo Garcia worked with the rest of the City of Atlanta Office of Sustainability, in educating numerous city stakeholders including building managers, developers, and Council members, for the adoption of the policy. Garcia is working with the Office of Sustainability during the fall 2024 semester to complete a Resilience Plan for Georgia Tech. 

“The voluntary participation of Georgia Tech to meet the City of Atlanta Commercial Building Energy Efficiency Ordinance, championed by Office of Sustainability, is a clear demonstration of the leadership of the institution to continue being a role model in energy efficiency in the country and around the world,” Garcia said. “This ordinance, approved unanimously by Atlanta’s City Council, was the first ordinance of this type in the Southeast. The ordinance has been recognized as one of the most progressive energy efficiency ordinances in the country by many prestigious organizations including the US Green Building Council, the Institute for Market Transformation, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and The Atlanta Regional Commission among others.”

Data collection efforts were supported by Amy Nguyen, Business Administration ‘26, who worked with the Office of Sustainability over the summer through the Serve-Learn-Sustain Sustainable Communities Summer Internship Program.