Detroit
City Scorecard Rank
61
Detroit, MI
22.00Scored out of 100Updated 10/2020
Community-Wide Initiatives
Score: 1 out of 15 points
Community-Wide Climate Mitigation and Energy GoalsList All
Climate Mitigation Goal
Detroit is a signatory of the Chicago Climate Charter and thus committed to a goal to reduce community-wide greenhouse gas emissions 30% below 2012 levels by 2025. ACEEE was unable to project if the city will achieve its near-term community-wide GHG emissions reduction goal because insufficient GHG emissions data were available for our analysis.
The city has conducted one greenhouse gas inventory.
Energy Efficiency Goal
The Sustainable Action Agenda contains a sector-specific goal to reduce industrial and commercial energy consumption per square foot by 10% by 2024.
Renewable Energy Goal
The Sustainability Action Agenda includes a goal to increase solar generation capacity to 10 MW by 2029, with an interim goal of 6.6 MW by 2024.
Last updated: August 2023
Equity-Driven Approaches to Clean Energy Planning, Implementation, and EvaluationList All
Equity-Driven Community Engagement
In developing the Sustainable Action Agenda, Detroit held seven focus groups with populations that are historically underrepresented in planning processes.
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
We could not verify if the city has 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, but the city’s Water and Sewer Department proposed a stormwater infrastructure ordinance.
Resilience Hubs
Detroit supported the creation of the a community resilience hub at A.B. Ford Park.
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
Score: 5.5 out of 30 points
Building Energy CodesList All
Overview
The State of Michigan requires its local jurisdictions to comply with the 2015 Michigan Energy Code. The state-based the Michigan Residential Code on the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) for residential buildings. However, the state amended the 2015 IECC, weakening it to 2012 IECC levels. The State of Michigan currently requires commercial buildings to comply with ASHRAE 90.1-2013. To learn more about Michigan’s building energy codes, please visit the State Policy Database.
Commercial
Commercial properties must comply with the Michigan Energy Code. The city’s zEPI score for its commercial energy code is 49.5.
Residential
Residential properties must comply with the Michigan Energy Code. The city’s zEPI score for its residential energy code is 57.61.
Solar-readiness policies
The city has not adopted a policy mandating new construction be solar-ready.
EV-charging readiness and infrastructure policies
We could not find information on whether the city has adopted EV-readiness policies.
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 policies
We could not find information on whether the city has adopted any electrification policies.
Last Update: September 2023
Building Energy Code Compliance and EnforcementList All
We were unable to determine the amount of staff effort dedicated to energy code enforcement. The city requires plan reviews, but not site inspections nor performance testing to verify energy code compliance. The city does not provide upfront support to developers and/or owners for energy code compliance.
Last Update: September 2023
Policies Targeting Existing BuildingsList All
Incentives
Grants and loans are available to commercial and multifamily buildings through Detroit's SmartBuildings Program. The program covers both energy-efficient upgrades and renewable energy installation.
There is a local PACE program but the city does not administer the program.
Program outcomes
We could not verify if the city collects data on incentive and financing programs to ensure equitable outcomes.
Last Update: September 2023
Transportation
Score: 7.5 out of 30 points
Sustainable Transportation Planning List All
Sustainable Transportation Plan
Detroit's Sustainability Action Agenda was released in 2019 and includes sustainable transportation strategies.
VMT/GHG Target and Stringency
The City of Detroit does not have a codified VMT or transportation GHG reduction target.
Progress Achieved Toward VMT/GHG Targets
The City of Detroit 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 Detroit 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 Policies
Detroit has eliminated parking minimums in certain districts.
Location Efficiency Incentives and Disclosure
The City of Detroit does not have location-efficient development incentives or disclosure policies.
Affordable Housing Around Transit
The city incentivizes affordable housing near transit through subsidies given to affordable housing developments targeting existing multifamily/mixed-use districts.
Last Updated: September 2023
Mode Shift List All
Mode Shift Targets
The City of Detroit does not have a codified mode share target.
Progress Achieved Toward Mode Shift Targets
The City of Detroit 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
Transportation Funding
The transit entities that serve the City of Detroit have received $146,559,889.00 on average annually between 2017 and 2021 from local sources. That equates to roughly $42.8 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 Detroit’s AllTransit Performance Score is 6.9, scoring 1 point in the City Scorecard.
Last Updated: September 2023
Efficient VehiclesList All
Vehicle Purchase Incentives
Detroit Edison offers a $1500 income-qualified EV rebate for Detroit residents.
Vehicle Infrastructure Incentives
Detroit Edison offers a $500 EV charging station rebate for installing level 2 chargers in a customer’s home.
Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Requirements
The City of Detroit does not require new developments to install EV charging stations.
EV Charging Locations
The City of Detroit has 44.2 ehicle charging ports per 100,000 people available for public use.
Electric School Bus Goal
Neither the City of Detroit nor the local school district have set an electric school bus goal.
EV Transit Bus Goal
Neither the City of Detroit nor the local transit agency have set an electric transit bus goal.
Last Updated: September 2023
Freight System EfficiencyList All
Sustainable Freight Plans
The City of Detroit does not have a sustainable freight plan or freight mobility plan in place, nor is it pursuing any freight efficiency strategies.
Open Data Portals
The City of Detroit does not have an open data portal with real-time freight data.
Last Updated: September 2023
Community Energy Infrastructure
Score: 6.5 out of 15 points
Community Energy Infrastructure Summary List All
Detroit Edison Company (DTE), an investor-owned utility (IOU), is the primary electric and gas utility serving the City of Detroit. MichCon Gas, an IOU and subsidiary to DTE, is Detroit’s primary natural gas supplier. The State of Michigan requires spending and savings targets for its electric and rate-regulated natural gas utilities through an EERS. The utilities must file documentation of energy efficiency programs to the state PUC. To learn more about the state requirements for electric and gas efficiency, please visit the Michigan page of the State Database.
The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department is the municipal utility that provides drinking water, wastewater treatment, and stormwater management services to the City of Detroit.
Last Updated: September 2023
Electricity and Natural Gas Efficiency SavingsList All
In 2021, DTE reported 944,217 MWh in electric net incremental savings. In 2021, DTE spent $181,137,870 on electric energy efficiency programs.
In 2021, DTE Gas also reported savings of 2,179,121 Mcf from natural gas efficiency programs. In 2021, DTE spent $40,118,947 on energy efficiency. These savings figures cover the entire Michigan service territory, not just Detroit.
DTE offers natural gas and electric efficiency incentives and technical assistance to residential and commercial/industrial customers.
At this time, the City of Detroit does not have a formal partnership with DTE and MichCon Gas in the form of a jointly developed or administered energy saving strategy, plan, or agreement.
Last Updated: September 2023
Low-Income & Multifamily EE Programs List All
Low-Income Programs
DTE offers the Energy Efficiency Assistance Program which provides recommendations, direct installation of qualified energy efficiency measures and education to income-qualified DTE customers in order to assist them in reducing their energy use and managing their utility costs. The program leverages the services provided by member agencies of the Michigan Community Action Agency Association (MCAAA), municipalities, counties, public housing commissions, faith-based institutions, community development corporations, and nonprofit organizations with existing housing and energy programs. direct installation of qualified EWR measures and education to income-qualified DTE customers in order to assist them in reducing their energy use and managing their utility costs. The residential Low-Income Program also includes customers residing in designated low-income multifamily units.
DTE delivers “incentive” funding to low-income customers through a variety of in-kind services, such as weatherization, furnace tune-up and replacement, insulation, water heater replacement plus the replacement of inefficient refrigerators with ENERGY STAR® model refrigerators in single-family homes and low-income multifamily dwellings, and in-home consultation and installation of energy-efficient measures through the Home Energy Consultation (HEC) Program. Low-cost measures such as LEDs, pipe wrap, energy-efficient showerheads and faucet aerators are installed at no cost to low-income multifamily tenants. The low-income multifamily program also expanded its measure offerings to multifamily tenants to include more expensive items, such as refrigerators, also at no cost to the customer.
DTE streamlines eligibility requirements by using the same requirements as many other programs for low-income customers. Through the Energy Efficiency Assistance program, DTE partners directly with local agencies, municipalities, counties, public housing commissions, faith-based institutions, community development corporations, and nonprofit organizations to offer housing and energy programs. DTE also offers a multifamily low-income program that provides direct install of energy efficiency measures in multifamily rental properties, provides energy information and education to tenants, ensures participation is clear and easy and covers a portion or all of the cost for common area improvements. DTE also offers two additional programs for low-income customers: 1) Home Energy Consultation Low-Income, and 2) Home Energy Reports for low-income customers. As of 2023, DTE was also operating a low-income health and safety pilot focusing on homes in need of repairs outside of exclusively energy savings efforts. These may include basic roof patches, simple structural envelope mediation, asbestos removal, knob and tube wiring abandonment, and/or basement/foundation remediation regarding moisture infiltration.
In 2021, according to DTE, it achieved 27,660 MWh and 2.08 MMtherms in electric energy savings, while spending $24,322,316 and $10,923,245 on its electric and natural gas programs, respectively. DTE served 11,042 electric and 12,649 natural gas customers in 2021.
The City of Detroit offers a 0% Interest Home Repair Loan Program, implemented by the community action agency. The Program launched in April 2015 and offers 10-year, interest-free loans from $5,000 to $25,000 to help Detroit homeowners invest in and repair their homes. The loan can be used for furnace and HVAC replacement, door and window replacement, electric repairs, and other health and safety improvements.
Multifamily Programs
DTE provides two comprehensive programs for multifamily properties. The Multifamily In-Unit Improvements Program offers no-cost direct install of energy-efficient lighting, showerheads, faucet aerators, programmable thermostats, and pipe wrap installation where units have electric water heating. The program also conducts a free energy assessment to identify other potential energy-saving upgrades. Additionally, these utilities offer the Multifamily Common Areas Improvements Program, which offers rebates for common area measures such as interior and exterior lighting, furnace/boiler upgrades, water heating, air conditioning, building and duct insulation, programmable thermostats, and ENERGY STAR windows.
In 2021, according to DTE, the program saved 68,881 Mcf while spending $4,306,000 on electric and $2,597,000 on natural gas customers. They served 3,376 electric properties and 3,500 natural gas housing properties in 2021.
Last Updated: September 2023
Provision of Energy Data by UtilitiesList All
DTE Energy does not provide building managers with automated benchmarking data through ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager for multitenant commercial or multifamily buildings. The City of Detroit does not provide community-wide energy usage information at the aggregate level for community planning and evaluation purposes. The City of Detroit does not advocate for better access to utility data for ratepayers or the establishment of data-sharing agreements between the city and its utilities.
Last Updated: July 2021
Decarbonization and Climate Change Mitigation Efforts of Cities and Energy UtilitiesList All
Utility Climate Mitigation Goal
In 2019, DTE Energy set a goal to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, with interim goals of 50% reduction by 2030 and 80% by 2040 from a 2005 baseline. To achieve this goal, DTE Energy will need to reduce emissions by 4.16% annually from 2019 levels.
City-Led Efforts to Decarbonize the Electric Grid
To our knowledge, the city of Detroit does not participate in activities or strategies to help spur or encourage more utility-scale or distributed renewable energy generation from its local electric utility, such as testifying in public utility commission proceedings related to renewable energy, creating a formal partnership with the electric utility on renewable generation, or participating in utility planning efforts to increase renewable generation.
Clean Distributed Energy Resources
We could not verify if the city has adopted a formal policy, rule, or agreement that supports the creation of clean distributed energy systems.
Municipal Renewable Energy Procurement
We were unable to find information regarding onsite or offsite municipal renewable energy systems in Detroit.
City Renewable Energy Incentive and Financing Programs
Grants and loans are available to commercial and multifamily buildings through Detroit's SmartBuildings Program. The program covers both energy-efficient upgrades and renewable energy installation.
There is a local PACE program but the city does not administer the program.
Last Updated: September 2023
Efficiency Efforts in Water ServicesList All
Citywide Water Efficiency and Goals
In partnership with DTE Energy, 110 customers that participated in the water utility's assistance program, WRAP (Water Residential Assistance Program), received refrigerator upgrades and other energy-saving services, including furnaces, through EcoWorks, WRAP's implementation partner in 2018. There are currently no water-saving targets in place for the City of Detroit.
Water Plant Efficiency and Self-Generation
Currently, there are no programs in place for energy efficiency in water operations at the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department. Detroit’s wastewater treatment plants do not have methane self-generation capacity, but the facility’s solar panels have a generating capacity of 20 kW and produce an estimated 21,500 kWh per year.
Last Updated: September 2023
Local Government Score:
1.5 out of 10 points
Local Government Climate and Energy Goals List All
Climate Mitigation Goal
The city of Detroit set a goal to reduce local government GHG emissions 25% by 2025, using a 2012 baseline.
Energy Reduction Goal
We could not find any information regarding a local energy reduction goal for Detroit.
Renewable Energy Goal
We could not find any information regarding a municipal renewable energy goal for Detroit.
Last updated: November 2023
Procurement and Construction Policies List All
Fleet Policies and Composition
Detroit does not have purchasing requirements for alternative fuel vehicles. However, it requires bidders to offer alternative fuel equivalents for any vehicle standard they bid on. The Detroit Sustainability Action Agenda also includes a goal to reduce emissions from City operations as well as an action to reduce emissions from city vehicles. Detroit’s municipal fleet is composed of 3% efficient vehicles, including hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and battery electric vehicles.
Public Lighting
Detroit is a partner of the DOE High Performance Outdoor Lighting Accelerator whose aim is to demonstrate practical and effective best practices to accelerate the adoption of high-efficiency outdoor lighting and impost system-wide replacement processes at the municipal level. Detroit has not adopted a policy requiring efficient outdoor lighting, such as the International Dark-Sky Association’s Model Lighting Ordinance. In 2014, Detroit converted 100% of their 65,000 streetlights to LED. This upgrade has saved the City nearly $3 million in electric bills and 40,000 tons of carbon a year.
Inclusive procurement
We were unable to verify if Detroit has inclusive procurement and contracting processes. Detroit has an ordinance prohibiting city contractors from inquiring about or considering criminal convictions of their applicants until they have been interviewed or it is determined that they are qualified.
Last updated: October 2023
Asset Management List All
Building Benchmarking
We were unable to confirm Detroit’s benchmarking practices. However, Detroit City Council has drafted an ordinance to benchmark all city-owned buildings above 25,000 square feet, which has not yet been adopted.
Comprehensive Retrofit Strategy
We were unable to find information regarding a comprehensive retrofit strategy in Detroit.
Municipal Employee Transportation Benefits
Detroit has a Commuter Benefit Flexible Spending Account, where municipal employees can use pre-tax contributions to pay for parking and transit expenses.
Last update: February 2024