19366_Authority_August

municipalauthorities.org │ 53 for budget certainty with an indexed portion to capture market dips. • Layered purchasing that locks in portions of your commercial natural gas and electricity supply at different times, averaging out price risk rather than betting on a single market moment. • Seasonal hedging to secure winter gas supply ahead of peak demand, avoiding the price spikes that hit hardest during polar vortex events. • Supplier benchmarking through competitive RFPs across multiple licensed retail suppliers, ensuring you are not leaving savings on the table. • Contract term alignment that matches energy agreements to your authority’s budget cycle and capital planning horizon. The goal is not simply the lowest unit price. It is the lowest total cost of energy, factoring in price stability, demand flexibility, and risk exposure. A well-structured procurement strategy can reduce annual energy spend by 10% to 15% before a single piece of equipment is upgraded. Strategy 2: Energy conservation — reduce electricity use at the source. The most cost-effective kilowatt-hour is the one you never use. For most wastewater facilities, aeration is the single largest energy consumer, often accounting for 40% to 60% of total plant electricity use. Upgrading to high-efficiency blowers, installing dissolved oxygen sensors, and automating aeration controls can deliver significant savings. Many facilities spread efficiency efforts across dozens of projects while overlooking the largest energy consumer in the plant: aeration. Practical conservation measures include: • Variable frequency drives (VFDs) on pumps and blowers to match motor speed to actual load. • Premium-efficiency motors replacing older, oversized equipment during scheduled maintenance. • Automated process controls that adjust aeration intensity based on influent loading and dissolved oxygen levels. • LED lighting and HVAC upgrades across administrative and operations buildings. These are not theoretical improvements. They are proven, bankable projects that reduce electricity consumption and lower the energy bill before you ever renegotiate a supply contract. Strategy 3: Energy recovery — turn waste streams into power. Wastewater is not just a liability; it is an untapped energy source. Facilities that operate anaerobic digesters can capture methane from sludge processing and convert it into electricity, heat, or even pipeline- quality renewable natural gas.