Rochester Looks Ahead – With A Focus on Efficiency

As Rochester grows, the city puts a bigger emphasis on energy efficiency.

Photo Credit: City of Rochester

As Rochester looks ahead to its future, growth is on the horizon. Fueled by the expansion of the Mayo Clinic’s Destination Medical Center (DMC), Rochester’s population is poised to grow by 50-percent over the next 20 years. This type of growth makes Rochester’s goal of reducing their city’s energy consumption by 25% over the next two decades even more impressive. To reach this ambitious target, Rochester is looking to the power of energy efficiency and working with local businesses, the DMC and members of the community to improve buildings across their city.

Awareness Brings Action

In 2016, Rochester approved an Energy Action Plan with the goal of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions 80% by 2050. Rochester’s large commercial buildings are significant energy users – accounting for 70% of city-wide greenhouse gas emissions. The easiest way to reduce the amount of air pollution the city creates is by understanding and scaling down the amount of energy the city uses. To do so, Rochester has implemented a voluntary “benchmarking” program that collects data on energy usage from businesses and city buildings. Building owners and occupants can compare their energy consumption to other buildings, which helps identify opportunities to cut energy waste and reduce energy bills.

In the first year, over 50 businesses joined Rochester’s benchmarking program. The popularity of similar programs has also been seen in U.S. cities across the country. Cities participating in benchmarking programs have achieved annual energy savings of 2-3% across participating buildings. These savings translate into lower energy bills and better air quality for residents.

One Discovery Square

A perfect example of Rochester’s sustainability-minded growth is One Discovery Square. The office building, located in the heart of downtown Rochester, opened in June of 2019 and is home to a growing community of medical businesses. Nearly every aspect of the building’s design was planned to reduce waste. As a result, the building now operates 20% more efficiently than the existing standards require. Ground recently broke on Discovery Square Two, a 125,000-square-foot life science research building adjacent to Discovery Square One that will aim to meet the same high-efficiency standards.

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