Performance Services is here to help you build a smarter city to enhance critical infrastructure and improve the lives of local citizens. But how? Cities don’t have to tackle every improvement overnight. Smart city projects can happen one step or improvement at a time. But when you look back at those incremental changes, the potential for your city is transformational.
Smart Infrastructure Improvements
When building smart cities, infrastructure improvements that reduce energy consumption and help cities save on maintenance and operations costs are a great place to start for quick wins. Better yet, those utility and operational savings can help fund future smart improvements.
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Onsite Power Generation
As discussion continues surrounding the long-term health of the power grids of America’s cities, onsite power generation will become critical. Help your city become more resilient by considering an overall “microgrid” rather than a backup generator.
Municipal power generation may be solved by battery storage, solar, or both. Due to the dramatic decrease in the cost of solar, municipalities with solar power are likely to see net cost savings vs. buying power from the grid. What’s more, “demand response” programs designed to relieve the grid during times of strain can also offer payback benefits.
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Networked LED Streetlights
Networked LED streetlights provide a solid foundation for many smart city projects. LED lights use 50-75% less energy than what they replace and last 5-10 times as long. Streetlights with smart controls have been proven to improve road and pedestrian safety, and remote on-off, dimming, and scheduling help cities save by reducing energy consumption. Since the replacement cost for streetlights is relatively low, the ROI of smart streetlights is almost always cash-positive, and they provide a solid launch point for future smart initiatives:
- Creating a framework for narrowband and broadband communications
- Advancing public safety through security technologies
- Increasing ROI for AMI projects through streetlight nodes
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Smart Water Meters
It’s estimated that cities and utility districts could be losing as much as 15-25% of their annual water revenues due to aging technologies and water distribution infrastructure. Implementing Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) and smart water meters gives your municipality better and more accurate data, pinpoint leak detection and remote shut-off capability.
The combined benefit of AMI and smart meters is less non-revenue water loss and reduced operational costs for reading and maintaining old meter systems.
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Water and Wastewater Improvements
For those cities that are eligible for American Rescue Plan funding, water and wastewater improvements are an important place to start. Even for those municipalities that don’t qualify for ARP funds, energy savings performance contracts can help you rebuild and update crumbling water and wastewater infrastructure at little to no out-of-pocket costs.
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Environmental Sensors
Deploying sensors to monitor pollution levels, noise, air quality, and weather conditions allows city leaders to better manage environmental resources and provide real-time information to residents. These sensors can be easily integrated with the networked streetlights.
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Wi-Fi Connectivity
Providing free or affordable Wi-Fi access in public areas promotes digital and advanced connectivity for other smart technologies, like digital exhibits.
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Public Safety Enhancements
Installing surveillance cameras with AI-powered analytics helps detect potential safety risks or emergencies. Such information can be shared with law enforcement agencies or emergency responders, allowing quicker response times and improved public safety.
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Smart Waste Management
Efficient collection and recycling optimize waste collection routes and schedules through IoT sensors and data analysis. Waste sorting technologies can automate processes to improve recycling rates.
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Smart Transportation
Implementing real-time traffic monitoring and adaptive signal control reduces traffic congestion. In terms of public transportation, investing in smart fare collection systems, real-time transit tracking, and digital signage for public transit improves the rider’s experience. Lastly, with the expected surge in all-electric vehicle (EVs) ownership, cities should increase charging station availability to make charging easy, accessible, and equitable.
Why Implement Smart Improvements Now?
It’s no secret that the United States infrastructure is in bad shape. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers’ 2021 report card for America’s infrastructure, our country scores an overall C-. That means our infrastructure needs help and attention. Public officials can make a difference now.
Wondering how your city or town compares? Our engineers are here to help evaluate your city or town’s systems and develop a report card for your city. Get in touch with Performance Services for a facility assessment and learn how to get started to enhance your community and build resiliency.
Funding Smart City Improvements
Public officials know that for every improvement they want to make, there’s usually a financing obstacle to overcome. What many cities and towns may not know is that budget-neutral financing is available in most states.
- Energy Savings Performance Contracts: No upfront capital is required when your city or town uses an energy savings performance contract to finance energy-focused smart improvements. Smart city projects can be financed and repaid with the guaranteed energy and efficiency savings of the improvements.
- American Rescue Plan Funding: American Rescue Plan funding may be available for many cities and towns across the US that are investing in water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure. When combined with a strategic infrastructure improvement plan, your city or town can use these funds to improve infrastructure.
- Design-Build Contracts: As a design-builder, we help cities and towns implement smart improvements with an integrated design and construction process. Using capital funding sources, or ESPCs, we can design smart city solutions, and project manage the installation from start to finish.
- Public-Private Partnerships (P3): Cities can partner with private companies to develop and manage public infrastructure projects, including smart city solutions. The private sector partner takes on the responsibilities of designing, constructing, financing, operating, and maintaining the project, with compensation linked to performance outcomes. This model aims to harness private sector efficiency and innovation, distribute risks, and achieve cost-effective and timely project delivery.
- “As a Service”: Cities choose a service provider to manage the design, implementation, and maintenance of advanced technologies, allowing cities to pay over time rather than making large upfront investments. This approach reduces financial and operational burdens, offers flexibility, and enables cities to benefit from specialized expertise without disrupting their core functions.
Partner with Performance Services on Your Smart City Project
As a NAESCO-accredited ESCO and design-builder, our team is equipped to find the best solutions and funding strategies for your smart city infrastructure projects. Our team will listen to your challenges and recommend technologies that solve your pain points and provide a jumping-off point for future smart technology improvements. Our team will design solutions with efficiency, resiliency, and quality of life in mind. And when the time comes, our integrated team can implement those solutions. So, you can rest assured that your project is in safe hands from start to finish and will truly leave a positive mark on your community.
Developing Smart Cities: A Guide for City Leaders
Are you interested in exploring smart city infrastructure and what improvements you could make now to prepare for the future and leave a legacy?
Our team is here to help. Our smart city engineers can evaluate your city’s unique challenges and opportunities and develop a roadmap of recommendations for implementing critical improvements today to better prepare you and your citizens for tomorrow.
