Beyond Net-zero Energy – EBMUD's Implementation of Innovative Energy Efficiency Measures to Reduce Demand

The East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) Main Wastewater Treatment Plant (Oakland, California) recently became a net producer of renewable electricity. The facility serves seven satellite collection agencies with a dry weather design capacity of 450 million liters per day (120 million gallons per day). EBMUD has successfully increased onsite electricity production over the past decade through anaerobic digestion of high-strength trucked wastes. In 2011, EBMUD initiated a master planning effort to minimize onsite electricity use to maximize the amount of renewable electricity available for exportation. This process identified and recommended 24 energy conservation measures (ECMs) that equate to a 13 percent reduction in electricity consumption and an annual savings of nearly $500,000. EBMUD created an internal Energy Team to guide implementation of the ECMs, monitor progress, and maintain a sustained focus on energy management into the future.