HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 04/19/2022 - FIRST READING OF ORDINANCE NO. 043, 2022, MAKING S Agenda Item 10
Item # 10 Page 1
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY April 19, 2022
Utilities-Customer Connections
STAFF
Kirk Longstein, Project Manager
Cyril Vidergar, Legal
SUBJECT
First Reading of Ordinance No. 043, 2022, Making Supplemental Appropriations and Authorizing Tr ansfer of
Appropriations from the Colorado Utility Data Accelerator Grant for the Fort Collins Utilities MyData Customer
Portal.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The purpose of this item is to appropriate $100,000 from the Colorado Energy Office awarded as a Colorado
Utility Data Accelerator Grant. The funds support the energy data disclosure requirements under the State’s
“Energy Performance for Buildings” statute (HB21 -1286; §25-7-142 (4)). The funding will help Utilities
streamline the process of sharing aggregated utility use data with building owners and improve benchmark
reporting.
The grant will be used to extend the scope of work with an existing vendor supporting the MyData Utilities
Customer data access portal through which building owners report building data required by City Code. By
extending functionality of that existing webservice for sharing Utilities customer usage data with the EPA’s
ENERGY STAR ® Portfolio Manager ® tool, the MyData portal can be leveraged to collect data required by
both City Code and the Energy Performance for Buildings statute, reducing the compliance effort for building
owners.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends adoption of the Resolution.
BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION
Benchmarking data required by the Building Energy and Water Scoring program (BES), codified at City Code
§12-201 et seq., and HB21-1286, respectively, includes electricity, natural gas, and water usage data. To
assist public utilities covered by State benchmarking requirements enacted in 2021, the Colorado Energy
Office awarded grants to expedite solutions that meet the data requirements of the Energy Performance for
Buildings statute. As a qualifying utility under that statute, Fort Collins Utilities (Utilities) leverages BES data to
publish an aggregation threshold and manage customer consent for electricity data to comply with statutory
data access requirements. Additionally, Utilities provides a direct connection through the MyData portal with
the building owner’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager tool for the
purposes of benchmarking energy use consumption data under State and local laws. A building owner must
separately connect with Xcel Energy tools to access natural gas consumption data.
The EPA’s ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager webservices has functionality to enable the MyData platform to
expand BES data collection to report metrics required by State statute. Through the data exchange with
Portfolio Manager, Utilities has flexibility to create a workflow and communicate wit h existing and new
properties to collect metrics entered in individual customer Portfolio Manager accounts.
Agenda Item 10
Item # 10 Page 2
The Colorado Energy Office recently awarded Utilities a Colorado Utility Data Accelerator Grant for $100,000,
This grant funding will enable a work order contract with the Utilities existing service provider to expand
MyData portal functionality to exchange with the State all data within an EPA ENERGY STAR Portfolio
Manager account and provide full management of existing and new Portfolio Manager ac counts, with a focus
on extracting metrics for use in compliance tracking software.
CITY FINANCIAL IMPACTS
The proposed appropriation of the grant award can be funded while still meeting service area and department
targets. The Light & Power Enterprise Fund will be reimbursed by the Colorado Utility Data Accelerator Grant,
resulting in no negative impact to the enterprise fund or ratepayers.
BOARD / COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION
The Energy Board will receive a staff report on this project contemporaneous with its implementation.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Grant Letter (PDF)
2. Grant Application (PDF)
March 4, 2022
Dear Kirk Longstein,
Thank you for applying to the State of Colorado’s Utility Data Accelerator Grant. On behalf of the
Colorado Energy Office (CEO), we’re delighted to inform you that Fort Collins Utilities has been
selected to receive this one-time utility grant.
This grant is to be used to meet the energy data disclosure requirements under the State’s “Energy
Performance for Buildings” Statute (HB21-1286; 25-7-142 (4)). The intent of this funding is to help
utilities streamline the process of sharing aggregated energy use data with building owners and to
improve benchmarking reporting compliance.
In order to provide this funding, we will need some documentation from you to move forward with
the process. Please provide the following information to the Colorado Energy Office:
●A W-9 for the awarded utility.
●An EFT form (attached) in order to distribute funds electronically.
●If using this grant to contract with a vendor or to purchase software, a detailed quote or
invoice for that vendor or software will be needed. This quote should include a description of
what the software is and how it meets the requirements, as well as an implementation plan
and associated costs, or
●If this funding is to be used to fund a position, documentation is needed on the job title,
estimated hours, estimated total expenditure, and a detailed description of the job position.
Over the next month, CEO will provide you a template and work with you to develop a formal
agreement with a comprehensive statement of work, that includes a project description, tasks,
deliverables, timeline, and reporting requirements.
Please note that this is a reimbursable grant and funding will not be provided upfront. These
funds can be reimbursed monthly or quarterly, with the receipt of an invoice and narrative document
explaining the progress accomplished. Please contact me at crystal.egelkamp@state.co.us if you
have any questions about the grant approval process.
Sincerely,
Crystal Egelkamp
Benchmarking Program Associate
1600 Broadway, Suite 1960 Denver, CO 80202 P 303.866.2100 F 303.866.2930 www.colorado.gov/energy
ATTACHMENT 1
To: Kim Burke, Colorado Energy Office Senior Program Manager, Building Policy
From: Kirk Longstein, Fort Collins Utilities
Date: December 8, 2021
RE: Qualifying Utility Data Accelerator Grant
Overview:
Fort Collins Utilities seeks grant funding from the Colorado Energy Office to expand the Utilities data exchange
platform to include functionality that supports reporting requirements outlined by local and State building
benchmarking and performance standards program.
Background:
Fort Collins’ existing webservices connection with Utilities customers who already have Portfolio Manager
accounts connected via MyData can share their properties and meters to exchange the Utilities data needed to
comply with the local benchmarking ordinance. This sharing process provides Fort Collins Utilities with
authorization to access and update their data monthly.
The EPA webservices API has full functionality for the MyData platform to expand and collect the metrics
required by benchmarking mandates. Through the data exchange with Portfolio Manager, Fort Collins Utilities
has flexibility to create a workflow and communicate the authorizations with existing and new properties so to
collect metrics entered by individual Portfolio Manager accounts. The proposal seeks to establish a work order
contract with the Utilities existing service provider that expands functionality to exchange all data within an
Energy Star Portfolio Manager account and provide full management of existing and new Portfolio Manager
accounts, with a focus mainly on extracting metrics for use in compliance tracking software.
Deliverable:
Performance Reporting API
In addition to providing utility data access to third-party providers, UtilityAPI's EE/DER Engagement Platform will
provide Energy Star Portfolio Manager data submission back to the utility in both its API and third-party
dashboard user interface. In cases where customer consent is required, UtilityAPI will provide functionality for
requesting and recording customer consent, similar to the data access consent process that is used for a
customer's utility data access. To ensure higher adoption and submission rates by covered building owners,
UtilityAPI will also provide documentation and technical support to third-parties wanting to submit performance
information via API. Data submitted via API will be accessible to the utility via UtilityAPI's EE/DER Engagement
Platform integration. For situations where data cannot be submitted via API, such as when a third-party is a small
business that does not have the technical capability or when the data is manually collected by the third-party,
UtilityAPI will also provide a manual data submission interface as part of its online third-party dashboard
interface. Like with the data submission APIs, these manual submissions are cleaned and made accessible to the
utility via UtilityAPI's EE/DER Engagement Platform integration. All Benchmarking and performance data
collected could be remitted and transmitted to the State’s vender. Functionality would be available in Q2 2023
Estimated budget:
$100,000
ATTACHMENT 2
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ORDINANCE NO. 043, 2022
OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS
MAKING SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS AND AUTHORIZING TRANSFER
OF APPROPRIATIONS FROM THE COLORADO UTILITY DATA ACCELERATOR
GRANT FOR THE FORT COLLINS UTILITIES MYDATA CUSTOMER PORTAL
WHEREAS, on December 4, 2018, City Council adopted Ordinance No. 144, 2018,
creating the Fort Collins Building Energy and Water Scoring (BES) program under City Code
Chapter 12, Art. XI to increase transparency and access to building performance information,
and enhance coordination among community efficiency programs and partner organizations; and
WHEREAS, community building energy and water scoring is an integral strategy to meet
the City’s Climate Action Plan Framework, Energy Policy, Water Efficiency Plan (adopted by
Resolution 2016-023), and renewable power goals; and
WHEREAS, on September 7, 2021, Colorado House Bill 21-1286, the “Energy
Performance for Building statute”, became effective (codified at Colorado Revised Statutes
(“C.R.S.”) Section 25-7-142), requiring owners of commercial, multifamily, and public buildings
with gross floor areas of 50,000 square feet or more to report annual energy use to the Colorado
Energy Office (CEO), which requirements operate in parallel with the BES program; and
WHEREAS, the City collects utility customer building data electronically through the
EPA ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager tool and manages the data on the MyData Customer
Portal pursuant to City Code Section 12-203, which records can also be used to satisfy the
reporting mandated by the Energy Performance for Building statute; and
WHEREAS, the CEO is providing grants to qualifying Colorado utilities to fund timely
implementation of solutions that meet the Energy Performance for Building statute building
performance data collection and reporting requirements; and
WHEREAS, the CEO recently awarded the City a “Colorado Utility Data Accelerator
Grant” in the amount of $100,000.00, which monies will reimburse the Light & Power Fund for
expenses incurred to collect and transmit data from the MyData Customer Portal to the CEO; and
WHEREAS, Article V, Section 9 of the City Charter permits City Council, upon
recommendation of the City Manager, to make a supplemental appropriation by ordinance at any
time during the fiscal year, provided the total amount of such supplemental appropriation, in
combination with all previous appropriations for that fiscal year, do not exceed the current
estimate of actual and anticipated revenues and all other funds to be received during the fiscal
year; and
WHEREAS, the Interim City Manager has recommended the appropriation described
herein and has determined this appropriation is available and previously unappropriated from the
Light & Power Fund and will not cause the total amount appropriated in the Fund to exceed the
current estimate of actual and anticipated revenues to be received in that Fund during this fiscal
year; and
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WHEREAS, Article V, Section 11 of the City Charter authorizes the City Council to
designate in the ordinance when appropriating funds for a federal, state or private grant or
donation, that such appropriation shall not lapse at the end of the fiscal year in which the
appropriation is made, but continue until the earlier of the expiration of the federal, state or
private grant or donation or the City’s expenditure of all funds received from such grant or
donation; and
WHEREAS, the City Council wishes to designate the appropriation herein of the
Colorado Data Accelerator Grant as an appropriation that shall not lapse until the earlier of the
expiration of the grant or the City’s expenditure of all funds received from such grant; and
WHEREAS, the funds proposed for appropriation in this Ordinance do not involve
capital construction or otherwise trigger requirements to fund the Art in Public Places Program;
and
WHEREAS, the proposed appropriation and expenditure of these grant funds to further
compliance with the Energy Performance for Building statute will benefit the public health,
safety and welfare of the residents of Fort Collins, and serve ratepayers by sharing aggregate
utility data with building owners and improving regional building efficiency benchmarking.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
FORT COLLINS as follows:
Section 1. That the City Council hereby makes and adopts the determinations and
findings contained in the recitals set forth above.
Section 2. That there is hereby appropriated from new revenue or other funds in the
Light & Power Fund the sum of ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS ($100,000.00) to be
expended in the Light & Power Fund to expand reporting of building benchmarking metrics from
the Fort Collins Utilities MyData Customer Portal in accordance with C.R.S. Section 25-7-142.
Section 3. That the appropriation herein is designated, as authorized in Article V,
Section 11 of the City Charter, as an appropriation that shall not lapse at the end of this fiscal
year but continue until the earlier of the expiration of the grant or the City’s expenditure of all
funds received from such grant.
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Introduced, considered favorably on first reading, and ordered published this 19th day of
April, A.D. 2022, and to be presented for final passage on the 3rd day of May, A.D. 2022.
____________________________________
Mayor
ATTEST:
_____________________________
City Clerk
Passed and adopted on final reading on the 3rd day of May, A.D. 2022.
__________________________________
Mayor
ATTEST:
_______________________________
City Clerk