The Division of Energy and Climate Solutions leads and implements projects that improve energy efficiency throughout City buildings.
Energy performance contracting
What is it?
Through Pennsylvania’s Guaranteed Energy Savings Act (GESA), energy performance contracting helps City-owned large facilities fund:
- Efficiency retrofit projects.
- Renewable energy projects.
- More efficient central utility plants for new buildings.
We work across departments to install the project improvements. Most performance contracts pay for the upgrades using the cost savings that they generate.
Ongoing projects
Quadplex Plus Community Health Project
The City is making energy-saving upgrades to 14 facilities that provide essential services to Philadelphia residents. The facilities include City Hall, City health centers, and homeless shelters. The $34.7 million project will improve lighting, HVAC, roofs, windows, and more. The Division of Energy and Climate Solutions and Philadelphia Energy Authority are leading this project in partnership with the Department of Public Property, Department of Public Health, and Office of Homeless Services.
The project is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 9,290 MTCO2e and save the City more than $1.5 million on utility costs each year. It will also help keep buildings comfortable for staff and visitors year-round, and reliable during extreme weather. Learn more about the project.
Completed projects
Annually, these completed projects save the City $10 million and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by over 21,500 MTCO2e. These impactful projects are key strategies in the Municipal Energy Master Plan.
Quadplex GESA Project
From FY11 through FY15, the Division of Energy and Climate Solutions managed the City’s first performance contract for an energy savings project. City Hall, the Municipal Services Building, the One Parkway Building, and the Criminal Justice Center—collectively called the “Quadplex”—were selected as project sites based on their energy savings potential.
The $12.2 million project included new lighting and HVAC updates that help save large amounts of energy and water. Learn more about the project.
Philadelphia Museum of Art Energy Project
In 2019, the Division of Energy and Climate Solutions completed an energy performance contract in partnership with the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Energy conservation measures like LED lighting upgrades and building controls were part of the Museum’s core project.
The upgrades are expected to generate $750,000 in guaranteed annual energy savings over 20 years, and will cover the cost of the $11.3 million project. Learn more about the project.
The Philly Streetlight Improvement Project (PSIP)
The Philly Streetlight Improvement Project is the City’s single largest energy conservation project. It replaced all 130,000 streetlights citywide with energy efficient LEDs and connected them to a lighting management system. The Department of Streets, Philadelphia Energy Authority, and Office of Sustainability completed this two-year construction project in October 2025.
The upgrades reduce streetlighting energy use by 50% (36 million kWh saved) and municipal greenhouse gas emissions by 10%, saving the City $8 million in energy and operational costs each year. Learn more about the project.
Energy Infrastructure & Efficiency Fund
What is it?
The Office of Sustainability created the Energy Infrastructure & Efficiency Fund (EIEF) to encourage City agencies to reduce energy consumption. The Division of Energy and Climate Solutions provides funding to departments through the EIEF for energy efficiency projects at City-owned facilities. The program was formerly called the Greenworks Sustainability Fund.
Find examples of EIEF projects using the story map.
Results
EIEF/GSF investments have saved over $5 million in energy costs over the life of the program.