Technology Tuesdays | How the City of Fresno Is Powering a Smarter, Cleaner Public Sector
Clean energy goals are easy to announce. Delivering them across 100+ municipal facilities? That’s where things get interesting.
As part of a sustainability campaign launched by Mayor Jerry Dyer, the City of Fresno recently completed one of its most ambitious energy efficiency initiatives to date—touching parks, public safety facilities, water treatment plants, and everything in between. The mission was simple (and refreshingly practical): cut energy use, lower long-term costs, and reduce carbon emissions—without disrupting the services residents rely on every day.
The result is a citywide upgrade portfolio that proves sustainability doesn’t have to be theoretical. It can be practical. Implementable. Approachable. And, yes, measurable—more than $300 million in projected energy savings over the next 20 years, to be precise.
What Was Installed—and Why It Matters
Water heating upgrades were a major focus, with a mix of heat pump water heaters and tankless natural gas systems deployed based on site needs. Heat pumps move heat instead of making it (think: refrigerator in reverse), making them remarkably efficient—especially in Central Valley climates. Tankless systems, meanwhile, heat water on demand, eliminating standby losses and wasted energy. The result: lower utility bills, reduced emissions, and a lot less energy slipping quietly down the drain.
Even better, these systems were installed at no cost to the city through PG&E’s Government & K-12 (GK-12) program—proof that modern infrastructure and budget discipline can, in fact, be on speaking terms.
HVAC and controls upgrades tackled one of the biggest energy drivers in public buildings. Fresno implemented:
Smart thermostats that adjust settings based on occupancy and time of day
Economizers that cool buildings using outside air when conditions cooperate
Variable frequency drives (VFDs) that let HVAC fans operate at just the right speed—not full blast
Advanced rooftop unit controls that optimize performance across systems
The payoff? Less wasted energy, longer equipment life, and happier building occupants—without anyone needing to touch a thermostat (which, let’s be honest, is a public-sector miracle).
Lighting retrofits replaced outdated fixtures with high-efficiency LED systems across City facilities. These systems cut energy use dramatically and last far longer, reducing maintenance needs and freeing up staff time and resources for more important things—like the actual business of running a city.
Renewable energy rounded out the strategy. Fresno partnered with Forefront Power to deploy on-site solar through a power purchase agreement (PPA), allowing the city to install solar infrastructure with no upfront capital investment. The energy generated offsets utility costs, and the savings pay for the system—turning sunshine into budget relief.
Electrical infrastructure upgrades, including transformer replacements and mobile backup generators, ensured the City’s growing clean energy ecosystem remained reliable, resilient, and ready for emergencies—because sustainability only works if the lights stay on.
How Fresno Turned Vision into Action
Rather than approaching the upgrades one building at a time, Fresno issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to assemble a team of contractors with deep expertise across energy systems. This allowed the city to move strategically, prioritizing high-impact projects and scaling implementation across departments.
Key partners to this RFQ included:
Willdan, the third-party implementer of PG&E’s Government & K-12 program
Innovative, a Willdan subcontractor specializing in water heater installations
Alliance Building Solutions, Inc., which delivered comprehensive energy efficiency measures
Forefront Power, Fresno’s solar partner
Additional partners this project included:
SJVCEO team: As the PG&E partner implementing the Central California Energy Watch (CCEW) Program, we support cities with benchmarking, compliance reporting, and technical assistance.
School Project for Utility Rate Reduction (SPURR): Leveraged its Joint Power Authority status and Renewable Energy Aggregated Procurement (REAP) Program, partnering with Forefront Power to secure optimal pricing and maximize energy and cost savings.
Funding strategies were just as thoughtful. PG&E rebates supported HVAC and control upgrades, while On-Bill Financing covered any unfunded portions, allowing costs to be repaid over time through utility bills instead of upfront capital. The solar project’s PPA structure ensured zero impact on the city’s bottom line—truly, an accountant’s love language.
The Bigger Picture
Fresno’s approach shows what’s possible when sustainability is treated not as a slogan, but as a systems upgrade—one that touches infrastructure, finance, operations, and community impact all at once. This wasn’t a single pilot project or a one-off retrofit; it was a coordinated, citywide effort designed to deliver both environmental progress and fiscal responsibility.
Just as importantly, it created a repeatable model. By leveraging utility programs, performance-based financing, and cross-sector partnerships, Fresno demonstrated that even complex, multi-facility public agencies can modernize at scale—without waiting for a windfall or rewriting the budget.
In a world where clean energy commitments often live on slideshows and press releases, Fresno built theirs into boiler rooms, rooftops, and control panels. The city didn’t just talk about sustainability—it wired it, plumbed it, programmed it, and paid for it with savings instead of sacrifice.
The lesson is clear: a smarter, cleaner public sector isn’t a distant horizon. It’s already here, quietly humming through Fresno’s municipal buildings—cooling, heating, lighting, and powering a future that costs less, emits less, and delivers more.
