Project Summary / Abstract File

Name of applicant: City of Shreveport

Project Director: Wes Wyche

Project Title: Louisiana Retrofit Ramp-Up

Objectives of the project:

The objectives of the Louisiana Retrofit Ramp-Up program over six years are to create 4,926

jobs, maintain 499 jobs, retrofit 78,500 residential buildings, and retrofit 2,120 governmental and

public buildings for a total square footage of 97,085,779. Average utilities savings achieved per

unit retrofitted is $1,442 at six years. In addition, the City and its partners have projected a 20%

reduction in overall energy consumption throughout the City of Shreveport and partnering

parishes (counties).

Description of the project: The proposal builds on Shreveport’s Energy Efficiency and

Conservation Strategy (EECS) and coordinates with the Shreveport Comprehensive Energy

Efficiency and Conservation Plan (CEECP) process that changes the entire community through

an engagement method of “strategic doing” and alignment of regional higher education to

support innovation and green workforce development. Basic components include:

Implement regional collaborative strategies to overcome the barriers to energy market

transformation that will result in broader market participation and greater efficiency from

retrofits: a) Access to Information (organizing the community), b) Access to Financing

(financing and incentives such as local revolving loan program, expansion of the state

revolving loan program, PACE, Energy Efficient Mortgages, bond programs, tax credit

strategies and others); and c) Access to Skilled Workforce (nonprofit, education and industry

partners will provide the platform for training the regional workforce with a replicable model

of growing and sustaining communities socially, economically, environmentally and

culturally).

Complete design and pilot retrofit program for an existing Brownfields building in the

historic business district as the Center of Community Renewal.

Audit and Retrofit regional Governmental and Higher Education Buildings to achieve a

minim 20% energy savings.

Audit and Retrofit Residential properties using a “whole neighborhood” approach.

Methods to be employed: a. Workshops, Training and Education will include 1) a web based information clearing house, 2) a

cooperative strategy; b. Commercial Buildings and Audits; c. Building Retrofits; d. An Approach for

Commercial Energy Audits; e. Performance Contracting; and f. Measurement & Verification

Potential impact of the project. The implementation of Louisiana Retrofit Ramp-Up will produce

profitable “green” businesses with high quality, well paid jobs, while retrofitting our cities’ building

stock. This program will revitalize our cities, improving the quality of life.

Major participants: City of Shreveport, New Orleans Federal Alliance, Schneider Electric, Consortium

for Education, Research and Technology of North Louisiana (CERT), Community Renewal International

(CRI), Gulf GeoExchange, and Regen.