Fort Worth
City Scorecard Rank
n/a
Fort Worth, TX
Scored out of 250Updated 05/2024
Community-Wide Initiatives
Score: 0.5 out of 15 points
Community-Wide Climate Mitigation and Energy GoalsList All
Climate Mitigation Goal
The city does not have a community-wide climate mitigation or greenhouse gas emissions reduction goal.
Energy Reduction 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: September 2021
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: September 2021
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: September 2021
Adaptive Mitigation List All
UHI Mitigation Goal
The city adopted an urban tree canopy coverage goal of 30% through Ordinance 18615-05-2009. The ordinance also protects trees on private property.
UHI Policies and Programs
Fort Worth has adopted a tree protection ordinance.
Last updated: September 2021
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Workforce DevelopmentList All
We could not verify if the city has programs committed to developing a dedicated energy efficiency and/or renewable energy workforce.
Last updated: June 2021
Buildings Policies
Score: 5.5 out of 30 points
Building Energy CodesList All
Overview
The State of Texas allows its local jurisdictions to adopt building energy codes that are at least as stringent as the Texas Building Energy Code. The minimum state standard for single-family residential construction must comply with the 2015 International Residential Code (IRC). All other residential and commercial building construction must comply with the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). State-funded building construction must comply with ASHRAE 90.1-2013. To learn more about the building energy code requirements for the State of Texas, please visit the State Policy Database.
Commercial
Fort Worth based its Energy Code for commercial buildings on the 2015 IECC with amendments. The city’s zEPI score for its commercial energy code is 53.7. The Code permits ENERGY STAR certification as an alternative compliance option.
Residential
Fort Worth based its Energy Code for residential buildings on the 2015 IECC with amendments. The city’s zEPI score for its residential energy code is 59.8. The code permits ENERGY STAR certification as an alternative compliance option.
Solar-readiness policies
The city has not passed an ordinance mandating new construction be solar-ready.
EV-charging readiness and infrastructure policies
The city has not passed an ordinance mandating new construction be EV-ready.
Last updated: June 2021
Building Energy Code Compliance and EnforcementList All
Fort Worth does not staff any full-time employees solely dedicated to energy code enforcement. The city requires plan reviews and site inspections to verify code compliance. The city offers upfront support to building owners and/or developers at pre-development and pre-construction conferences.
Last updated: June 2021
Policies Targeting Existing BuildingsList All
Incentives
Tarrant County offers commercial and multifamily property owners access to property assessed clean energy financing for both energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.
Voluntary programs
The city’s Better Buildings program is a voluntary benchmarking program for commercial buildings. The program ended in 2020.
Last updated: August 2021
Transportation
Score: 6.5 out of 30 points
Sustainable Transportation Planning List All
Sustainable Transportation Plan
Fort Worth does not have a sustainable transportation plan in place.
VMT/GHG Target and Stringency
At this time, the City does not have a codified vehicle miles traveled (VMT) or greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction target.
Progress Achieved Toward VMT/GHG Targets
We could not determine if the City tracks VMT or GHG numbers.
Last Updated: November 2021
Location Efficiency List All
Location Efficient Zoning Codes
Fort Worth has implemented form-based codes to govern development in the Downtown, Berry/University, Camp Bowie, Near Southside, Panther Island, and Stockyards neighborhoods.
Residential Parking Policies
The City allows one or more parking spaces per residential unit. The City has removed minimum parking requirements and added maximum parking requirements for all non-residential uses citywide. The City has recently removed all parking requirements from locally designated historic properties and properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Location Efficiency Incentives and Disclosure
The City has community-wide mixed-use zoning and urban residential zoning categories that offer height and density bonuses. The City has dedicated project facilitators for mixed-use and urban residential development that expedite land development and permitting.
Last Updated: November 2021
Mode Shift List All
Mode Shift Targets
At this time, the City does not have a codified mode share target for trips within the city.
Progress Achieved Toward Mode Shift Targets
No progress has been achieved, as there are no targets in place.
Complete Streets
Fort Worth adopted a Complete Streets policy in 2016. The initiative encourages the inclusion of complete streets principles in all road construction and maintenance projects.
Last Updated: November 2021
Public Transit List All
Transportation Funding
The transportation entities that serve the City of Fort Worth have received $115,927,252.60 on average annually between 2015 and 2019. That equates to roughly $131.74 per capita between 2015 and 2019 within the Authority's service area.
Access to Transit Services
The Transit Connectivity Index measures transit service levels. It is based on the number of bus routes and train stations within walking distance for households scaled by frequency of service. Fort Worth's Transit Connectivity Index value is 3.2, scoring 0 points in the City Scorecard.
Last Updated: November 2021
Efficient VehiclesList All
Vehicle Purchase Incentives
At this time, Fort Worth does not offer incentives for citizens to purchase hybrid, plug-in, or EV vehicles.
Vehicle Infrastructure Incentives
There are no incentives available for the construction of EV charging infrastructure.
EV Charging Locations
The City has 99 charging ports available for public use, equivalent to 72 ports per 100,000 people.
Electric School Bus Goal
Fort Worth does not have an electric school bus goal.
EV Transit Bus Goal
Fort Worth does not have an EV transit bus goal.
Last Updated: November 2021
Freight System EfficiencyList All
Fort Worth does not have a sustainable freight transportation plan in place, nor does it have any policies that address freight efficiency.
Last Updated: November 2021
Clean, Efficient Transportation for Low-Income CommunitiesList All
Affordable New TOD Housing Policy
Fort Worth provides tax and funding incentives for affordable and mixed-income housing in transit-served areas and mixed-use areas by policy.
Connecting Existing Affordable Housing Stock to Efficient Transportation Options
Fort Worth does not currently provide rebates or incentives to low-income residents for efficient transportation options.
Last Updated: November 2021
Community Energy Infrastructure
Score: 4.5 out of 15 points
Community Energy Infrastructure Summary List All
Oncor, an investor-owned utility (IOU), is the primary electric utility serving the City of Fort Worth. Atmos Energy, an IOU, is Fort Worth’s primary natural gas supplier. The City of Fort Worth is an active promoter of Atmos and Oncor’s energy efficiency programs. The State of Texas requires electric utilities to offset load-growth through end-use energy efficiency, mandated through an EERS. The utilities must also submit their energy savings goals to the Public Utility Commission of Texas. To learn more about the state requirements for electric and gas efficiency, please visit the Texas page of the State Database.
The Fort Worth Water Department is the municipal utility that provides drinking water services and wastewater treatment to the City of Fort Worth. Stormwater management and services are provided by Fort Worth’s Transportation and Public Works Department (TPW).
Last Updated: July 2021
Electricity and Natural Gas Efficiency SavingsList All
In 2019, according to EIA, Oncor achieved 214,599 MWh in net electric incremental savings, representing 0.52% of retail electric sales. In 2019, according to EIA, Oncor spent $43,852,000 on electric energy efficiency programs, which represents 1.05% of its retail revenue.
In 2019, Atmos Energy reported 0.19 MMTherms of net natural gas savings at the meter, which represents 0.01% of its retail sales across the utility’s service territory. In 2019, Atmos reported spending $1,078,302 on energy efficiency, which equates to $0.70 per residential customer. These figures cover the entire Texas service territory, not just Dallas.
Oncor offers electric efficiency incentives and technical assistance to residential and commercial/industrial customers.
Fort Worth partners with Oncor and Atmos Energy to promote participation in the Fort Worth Better Buildings Challenge. Fort Worth’s Housing and Economic Development department partners with Oncor for the weatherization program. Other programs include the Business Smart program, and Sustainable Energy Round Table – two working groups that aim to transform the local energy efficiency markets.
Last Updated: July 2021
Low-Income & Multifamily EE Programs List All
Low-Income Programs
Oncor offers the Hard-to-Reach Standard Offer Program and a Targeted Low-Income Weatherization Program to qualified low-income residential customers. The Hard-to-Reach program is designed to achieve energy and demand savings with the installation of a wide range of energy efficiency measures at low or no cost. Service providers implement energy-saving measures and their costs are offset by incentives paid by Oncor. Measures include duct sealing, water efficiency measures, insulation, weatherstripping, and caulking. Oncor is also implementing a Targeted Weatherization Program through the Texas Association of Community Action Agencies (TACAA), which provides funds to designated federal Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) sub-recipient agencies. This enables them to provide weatherization services to low-income residential electric distribution customers. Energy-efficient measures installed include aerators, attic insulation, air infiltration, central air conditioning units, central heat pumps, floor insulation, and ENERGY STAR® refrigerators and windows. Customers are automatically enrolled in Oncor’s low-income programs if they are enrolled in the Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP), Home Weatherization Assistance Plan (HWAP), or Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP).
Spending and energy-saving values and the number of customers served by Oncor’s 2019 low-income program were not available.
Atmos Energy offers the Keeping the Warmth Program to qualified low-income residential customers in Fort Worth. Measures include natural gas piping repair, attic, and wall insulation, gas water heater replacements, duct sealing, caulking, weatherstripping, wall outlet insulation, and faucet aerators. The program targets elderly and disabled households, and households with children under the age of five. Through this program, the utility partners with local communities, weatherization organizations, and community action agencies to help decrease household energy use.
In 2019, according to Atmos Energy, it saved 0.003 MMtherms, while spending $53,519 on its low-income programs and serving 51 low-income customers through this program.
Multifamily Programs
Oncor offers a multifamily program, which includes incentives for appliances, heating and cooling updates, and lighting. Savings, spending, and participation data were not available for 2019.
Atmos Energy offers rebates for new multifamily housing, which can be used for the installation of new high-efficiency gas appliances. In 2019, according to Atmos Energy, it achieved 0.003 MMtherms in saving, while spending $21,900 on its multifamily programs and serving 73 housing units in 1 multifamily property.
Last Updated: August 2021
Provision of Energy Data by UtilitiesList All
Neither ONCOR nor ATMOS Energy provides building managers with automated benchmarking data through ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager for multitenant commercial or multifamily buildings. The City of Fort Worth does not provide community-wide energy usage information at the aggregate level for community planning and evaluation purposes. The City of Fort Worth 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
At this time, Oncor does not have a carbon reduction goal in place.
City-Led Efforts to Decarbonize the Electric Grid
The city of Fort Worth participates on the Steering Committee of Cities Served by Oncor, where they represent consumer interests and advocate on behalf of electricity consumers to the Public Utility Commission and elsewhere on issues related to renewable energy. The city is also advocates for renewable generation through its membership in the Texas Coalition of Cities for Utility Issues, which is a coalition of more than 50 Texas municipalities dedicated to protecting and supporting the interests of citizens and cities in regard to utility issues.
Last Updated: July 2021
Efficiency Efforts in Water ServicesList All
Citywide Water Efficiency and Goals
The City of Fort Worth does not have any joint water and energy efficiency programs in place. The city does have a SmartFlush program to replace residential toilets with high-efficiency toilets and has time-of-day watering restrictions.
Fort Worth’s water-saving goals are based on the recommendations of the Texas Water Conservation Implementation Task Force, which suggested a 1% reduction in gallons of water used per capita per day per year. In FY2018, average water use was 169 GPCD, slightly above the goal of 168 GPCD and higher than in previous years.
Water Plant Efficiency and Self-Generation
The Fort Worth Water Department participates in the city's energy conservation programs. In terms of energy efficiency, the Village Creek Water Reclamation Facility has been involved with Johnson Controls Inc., as part of an ESPC (Energy Savings Performance Contract), to increase on-site electrical generation to 50% and reduce energy consumption by 20%.
The Fort Worth Water Department participates in self-generation by producing 1500 standard cubic feet per minute (scfm) of methane gas from anaerobic digesters.
Last Updated: July 2021
Local Government Score:
0.5 out of 10 points
Local Government Climate and Energy Goals List All
The City of Fort Worth created the Sustainability Task Force to ensure sustainable economic growth. The Task Force is also entrusted with improving municipal operations to achieve citywide sustainability goals.
Climate Mitigation Goal
The city does not have a climate mitigation or greenhouse gas emissions reduction goal for municipal operations.
Energy Reduction Goal
The city does not have a municipal energy reduction goal.
Renewable Energy Goal
The city does not have a municipal renewable energy goal.
Last updated: June 2021
Procurement and Construction Policies List All
Fleet Policies and Composition
While Fort Worth does not currently have a procurement policy for efficient fleet vehicles, the City has taken steps to address greenhouse gas emissions associated with its fleet by purchasing hybrid, plug-in hybrid, electric, and alternative fuel vehicles, including tier 4-equipped off-road equipment. The City continues to participate actively in North Central Texas Council of Governments’ transportation programming, including the adoption of a Clean Fleet Vehicle Policy and partnering with Dallas-Fort Worth Clean Cities. Fort Worth’s fleet is composed of 1.2% efficient vehicles, including hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and battery electric vehicles.
Public Lighting
Fort Worth has not adopted a policy requiring efficient outdoor lighting, such as the International Dark-Sky Association’s Model Lighting Ordinance. However, the City required all LED fixtures to have a standard 7-pin receptacle so that light output can be adjusted. Fort Worth has adopted facility design standards that require high-efficiency LED lights in new City facilities, both interior, and exterior. Exterior lights must have timers, light sensors, or a building management system to automate the light schedule. The City’s streetlight maintenance program replaces burned-out streetlight fixtures with new LEDs. Fort Worth has converted 30% of streetlights to LED and continues to plan for future LED upgrade projects.
Onsite and offsite renewable systems
We were unable to find information regarding onsite and offsite renewable energy systems installed by Fort Worth.
Inclusive procurement
We were unable to verify if the city has inclusive procurement and contracting processes.
Last updated: March 2020
Asset Management List All
Building Benchmarking
Fort Worth does not currently benchmark energy use in municipal buildings.
Comprehensive Retrofit Strategy
Fort Worth has energy savings performance contracts for over 100 facilities. Approximately 9% of municipal buildings have undergone comprehensive retrofits in the past 5 years. The ESPC Phase 7 was authorized in 2013, with substantial portions completed in 2014 and the performance period extending through 2026.
Last updated: June 2021