Case Study/Exemplar

Saving Millions and Cutting Emissions: Four Lessons from Salt Lake City School District’s Energy Transition

Building Power Resource Center,

Read the report about Saving Millions and Cutting Emissions: Four Lessons from Salt Lake City School District’s Energy Transition

This report documents Salt Lake City School District’s (SLCSD) clean energy transition, presenting it as one of the country’s earliest district-wide public school decarbonization efforts. It is useful for district administrators, facilities managers, sustainability coordinators, and community organizers seeking a replicable model for K-12 clean energy adoption.

The report traces SLCSD’s path from its June 2020 Sustainability Resolution—committing to 100% clean electricity by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2040—through its Sustainability Action Plan (adopted September 2021) and into multi-phase project implementation across 47 buildings totaling over 4.5 million square feet. At baseline, the district spent over $5.6 million annually on utility costs and produced approximately 33,216 metric tons of CO2 equivalents.

The report presents four lessons:

  • Inside-outside organizing between external advocates—Utah Youth Environmental Solutions (UYES) and the Sierra Club Utah Chapter—and internal governing allies was essential to achieving the Sustainability Resolution;
  • Sequencing technology upgrades holistically, such as pairing electrification with on-site solar generation, avoids cost spikes and shortens payback periods;
  • Co-governed implementation teams must be sustained beyond policy adoption to prevent miscommunication and delays; and
  • Building early institutional capacity enables districts to leverage future funding opportunities, as SLCSD demonstrated by receiving over $1.2 million through IRA clean energy tax credits.

Financing mechanisms include a $29.5 million Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) with McKinstry and a Tax-Exempt Lease Purchase (TELP). Project outcomes include over 6,800 solar panels installed across 13 schools and LED upgrades across all district schools, with projected $23 million in savings over 20 years. A $730 million bond passed in November 2024 includes $80 million for future sustainability projects.

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