Chattanooga
City Scorecard Rank
73
Chattanooga, TN
Scored out of 100Updated 10/2020
Community-Wide Initiatives
Community-Wide Climate Mitigation and Energy GoalsList All
Climate Mitigation Goal
Chattanooga adopted a goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. ACEEE was unable to project if the city will achieve its near-term GHG emissions reduction goal because insufficient GHG emissions data were available for our analysis.
Energy Efficiency Goal
We did not find information regarding a community-wide energy reduction goal for the city.
Renewable Energy Goal
We did not find information regarding a community-wide renewable energy goal for the city.
Last updated: August 2023
Equity-Driven Approaches to Clean Energy Planning, Implementation, and EvaluationList All
Equity-Driven Community Engagement
We were unable to determine whether relevant decision-makers have taken a unique and expanded approach in conducting engagement for multiple clean energy initiatives with marginalized groups compared to engagement with other city constituencies.
Equity-Driven Decision-Making
We were unable to determine if the city has created a formal role for marginalized community residents or local organizations representing those communities to participate in decision-making that affects the creation or implementation of a local energy, sustainability, or climate action plan.
Equity Accountability Measures
We were unable to determine whether the city has adopted specific goals, metrics, or protocols to track how multiple energy, sustainability, or climate action initiatives are affecting local marginalized groups.
Last updated: August 2023
Clean Distributed Energy ResourcesList All
The city has not adopted a formal policy, rule, or agreement that supports the creation of clean distributed energy systems.
Last updated: August 2023
Adaptive Mitigation List All
Heat Island Mitigation Policies and Programs
We were unable to determine if the city has adopted specific policies or programs that incorporate requirements or incentives to mitigate the urban heat island effect.
Resilience Hubs
We were unable to determine if the city has supported the creation of resilience hubs that incorporate clean energy resources and are sited in disadvantaged communities.
Last updated: August 2023
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Workforce DevelopmentList All
Workforce development for disadvantaged workers
We could not determine if city has partnered with a local education institution, labor union, or community-based organization to create, support, and/or incentivize the development of clean energy workforce development initiatives that target training and support services for potential or existing workers from disadvantaged communities to obtain and keep in-demand jobs.
Workforce development for the broader community
We could not determine if city has partnered with a local education institution, labor union, or community-based organization to create, support, and/or incentivize the development of clean energy workforce development initiatives that target training and support services for potential or existing workers from the broader community to obtain and keep in-demand jobs.
Outcomes tracking
We could not determine if the city has instituted a mechanism to measure the performance and/or success of equitable workforce development initiatives focused on the clean energy sector.
Last updated: August 2023
Buildings Policies
Building Energy CodesList All
Tennessee is a home rule state and localities can adopt their own building codes. Chattanooga has adopted the 2018 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) with amendments.
Commercial
Commercial projects must comply with the 2018 IECC with city amendments. The city’s zEPI score for its commercial energy code is 49.5.
Residential
Residential projects must comply with the 2018 IECC with city amendments. The city’s zEPI score for its residential energy code is 57.75.
Solar-readiness policies
We could not find information on whether the city has adopted solar-readiness policies or requirements, but Chatanooga allows solar in all zones.
EV-charging readiness policies
We could not find information on whether the city has adopted policies requiring buildings to be EV-ready.
Low-energy use requirements
We could not find information on whether the city sets low-energy use requirements for municipal or certain private buildings.
Electrification
We could not find information on whether the city has adopted policies to encourage the elimination of fossil fuels, such as building emissions standards, all-electric readiness provisions, or all-electric requirements for new construction.
Last updated: August 2023
Building Energy Code Compliance and EnforcementList All
Chattanooga requires plan review for select building types. We were unable to determine the amount of staff effort dedicated to energy code enforcement. The city offers on-demand code compliance support through pre-submittal meetings.
Last updated: August 2023
Policies Targeting Existing BuildingsList All
We could not find information on whether the city incentivizes or requires energy-saving actions in existing buildings.
Last updated: August 2023
Transportation
Sustainable Transportation Planning List All
Sustainable Transportation Plan
The Chattanooga Climate Action Plan was released in 2023 and includes sustainable transportation strategies. It also includes strategies specifically benefitting disadvantaged communities.
VMT/GHG Targets and Stringency
The City of Chattanooga does not have a codified VMT or transportation GHG reduction target.
Progress Achieved Toward VMT/GHG Targets
The City of Chattanooga does not have a codified VMT or transportation GHG reduction target, and therefore cannot make progress toward the target.
Last updated: September 2023
Location Efficiency List All
Location Efficient Zoning Codes
We were unable to find information indicating that the City of Chattanooga has made changes to its zoning code in the past 10 years to facilitate more residential density, mixed-use development, or transit-oriented development.
Parking Requirement
Chattanooga has eliminated parking minimums in its Central Business Zone.
Location Efficiency Incentives and Disclosure
The City of Chattanooga does not have location-efficient development incentives or disclosure policies.
Affordable Housing around Transit
The City of Chattanooga does not require, preserve, or incentivize the development of affordable housing near transit.
Last Updated: September 2023
Mode Shift List All
Mode Shift Targets
The City of Chattanooga does not have a codified mode share target.
Progress Achieved Toward Mode Shift Targets
The City of Chattanooga does not have a codified mode share target, and therefore cannot make progress toward the target.
Subsidized Access to Efficient Transportation Options
We were unable to find information on programs or policies subsidizing access to efficient transportation for disadvantaged groups.
Last Updated: September 2023
Public Transit List All
Transit Funding
The transit entities that serve the City of Chattanooga have received $15,468,754.00 on average annually between 2017 and 2021 from local sources. That equates to roughly $86.09 per capita between 2017 and 2021 within the service area.
Access to Transit Services
The AllTransit Performance Score measures a given community's transit access and performance. The score considers connections to other routes, access to jobs, service frequency, and the percent of commuters who ride transit to work. The City of Chattanooga's AllTransit Performance Score of 3.3 does not qualify it for points in the City Scorecard.
Last Updated: September 2023
Efficient VehiclesList All
Efficient Vehicle Purchase Incentives
Neither the City of Chattanooga nor the local utility provide incentives for purchasing efficient vehicles.
Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Incentives
Neither the City of Chattanooga nor the local utility provide incentives for the installation of EV charging stations.
Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Requirements
The City of Chattanooga does not require new developments to install EV charging stations.
EV Charging Ports
The City of Chattanooga has 59.8 vehicle charging ports per 100,000 people available for public use.
Electric School Bus Goal
Neither the City of Chattanooga nor the local school district have set an electric school bus goal.
Electric Transit Bus Goal
Neither the City of Chattanooga nor the local transit agency have set an electric transit bus goal.
Last Updated: September 2023
Freight System EfficiencyList All
Sustainable Freight Plans
Chattanooga does not have a sustainable freight plan or freight mobility plan. However, the city is pursuing multiple sustainable freight strategies, including exploring the establishment of low- or no-emission zones and incentivizing the adoption of electric commercial vehicles.
Open Data Portals
The City of Chattanooga does not have an open data portal with real-time freight data.
Last Updated: September 2023
Community Energy Infrastructure
Community Energy Infrastructure Summary List All
EPB a municipally owned utility, is the primary electric utility for the City of Chattanooga. Chattanooga Gas, an investor-owned utility (IOU), is the city's primary natural gas utility.
Last Updated: March 2024
Electricity and Natural Gas Efficiency SavingsList All
We were unable to verify the savings for Chattanooga gas and electric utilities for the year 2021.
Last Updated: March 2024
Low-Income & Multifamily EE Programs List All
EPB offers the Home Uplift program to its low-income customers. We were unable to verify low-income savings and spending for the year 2021 for EPB and Chattanooga Gas.
Last Updated: March 2024
Provision of Energy Data by UtilitiesList All
We were unable to verify whether the city's utility provide benchmarking and data access.
Last Updated: March 2024
Decarbonization and Climate Change Mitigation Efforts of Cities and Energy UtilitiesList All
Clean Distributed Energy Resources
The city has not adopted a formal policy, rule, or agreement that supports the creation of clean distributed energy systems.
Municipal Renewable Energy Procurement
Chattanooga has a 2.64 MW solar farm that powers the Chattanooga airport.
City Renewable Energy Incentive and Financing Programs
We could not find information on whether the city incentivizes the deployment of renewable energy systems.
Last Updated: September 2023
Local Government Score:
Local Government Climate and Energy Goals List All
Climate Change Mitigation Goal
We could not find any information regarding a municipal climate change mitigation or greenhouse gas reduction goal for Chattanooga.
Energy Reduction Goal
We could not find any information regarding a local energy reduction goal for Chattanooga.
Renewable Electricity Goal
We could not find any information regarding a municipal renewable energy goal for Chattanooga.
Last Updated: November 2023
Procurement and Construction Policies List All
Fleet Policies and Composition
While we were unable to find information on fuel efficiency and fleet procurement requirements in Chattanooga, the City’s Climate Action Plan includes goals to electrify their public transportation system and municipal fleet. We were unable to find data regarding fleet composition.
Public Lighting
We did not find information regarding the adoption of a policy requiring efficient outdoor lighting, such as the International Dark-Sky Association’s Model Lighting Ordinance. We were unable to confirm if Chattanooga has an outdoor lighting upgrade program.
Inclusive procurement
Chattanooga released a disparity study of their procurement processes in 2019, which recommended adoption of formal policies and more staff capacity to address inclusive procurement. We were unable to confirm if Chattanooga has adopted inclusive procurement and contracting processes.
Last Updated: October 2023
Asset Management List All
Building Benchmarking
We were unable to find information regarding benchmarking practices in Chattanooga.
Comprehensive Retrofit Strategies
We were unable to find information regarding a comprehensive retrofit strategy in Chattanooga.
Municipal Employee Transportation Benefits
We were unable to determine whether Chattanooga provides reduced-emission transportation benefits to municipal staff.
Last update: February 2024