Envision Charlotte builds on early success
It was an aggressive goal in 2011: Reduce energy usage in uptown Charlotte by 20 percent in five years. But Envision Charlotte, a public/private collaboration between Duke Energy, Cisco, Verizon Wireless, the city of Charlotte and others, is well on its way to achieving that goal.
Duke Energy’s Smart Energy Now® efficiency pilot program is the backbone of Envision Charlotte’s energy-reduction goal. As part of this program, more than 1,000 uptown workers have received training on how to reduce energy in their workplaces.
According to initial data, energy use in uptown Charlotte is heading in the right direction — down. Detailed analysis of more comprehensive data is under way, and those results will be available in early 2014.
New water-saving program
In 2012, Envision Charlotte leaders announced the Smart Water Now® program, which aims to reduce uptown water use by 20 percent. That equates to about 53 million gallons of water — or enough to fill 80 Olympic-size pools.
As with the energy program, building owners, managers and workers will track their collective progress using smartphones as well as interactive kiosks across uptown. Both the water and the energy programs are designed to drive awareness and adoption of efficient habits in the workplace.
Waste and air quality
Future Envision Charlotte programs are planned to reduce waste and improve air quality in uptown Charlotte. Those programs will include partnerships with local waste-management companies, as well as a focus on improving access to charging stations in uptown Charlotte for plug-in electric vehicles.