Palo Alto Receives Climate Honorable Mention At Conference Of Mayors

PALO ALTO, CA — Palo Alto received an honorable mention at the 2022 Climate Protection Awards from the U.S. Conference of Mayors this month in the “Small City Category.”

The awards honor mayors and cities that implement successful climate action locally.

Palo Alto was recognized for its Multifamily Gas Furnace to Heat Pump Retrofit Pilot, which identified and replaced an in-unit gas furnace with an energy efficient heat at an income-qualified multi-family property.

The city’s pilot focused on a 24-unit apartment complex built in 1998 and rented to low-income adults. Palo Alto retrofitted 16 one-bedroom units that previously had gas wall furnaces, and eight two-bedroom units with ducted gas furnaces.

Palo Alto has a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2030 relative to the 1990 baseline, and it is focusing on addressing the multi-housing units that account for 40 percent of its housing market.

Palo Alto joined the cities of Goleta (California) Littleton (Colorado), Redmond (Washington) and Sante Fe (New Mexico) as cities with a population under 100,000 to receive an honorable mention.

Click here for more information and here to learn more about Palo Alto’s sustainability efforts.