Milwaukee
City Scorecard Rank
53
Milwaukee, WI
25.00Scored out of 100Updated 10/2020
Community-Wide Initiatives
Score: 4 out of 15 points
Community-Wide Summary List All
The City of Milwaukee released the ReFresh Milwaukee Sustainability Plan in 2013.
Last updated: September 2021
Community-Wide Climate Mitigation and Energy GoalsList All
Climate Mitigation Goal
Milwaukee adopted a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 45% below 2018 levels by 2030. In accordance with the Paris Climate Accord, Milwaukee also maintains a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 26-28% 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.
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
Council resolution 190445 established the Climate and Economic Equity Task Force. Membership includes representatives of organizations that represent the interests of marginalized communities. The task force is charged with making recommendations on how to meet Milwaukee's emissions reductions goals (see Climate Action and Energy Planning Goals above) and mitigate racial and income inequity through green jobs. The task force's work can be tracked here, including their preliminary report.
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
The city has supported the creation of a solar field at a closed landfill site near an Air National Guard base. The solar field will integrate with an existing microgrid at the base and provide it with power in the event of an emergency.
A district cogeneration plant provides electricity and steam to downtown Milwaukee.
The Harbor District Water and Land Use Plan outlines support for the installation of district cooling systems using water from Lake Michigan.
Last updated: September 2021
Mitigation of Heat Islands List All
UHI Mitigation Goal
The ReFresh Milwaukee Sustainability Plan includes a goal to double urban tree canopy coverage to 40% by 2023.
UHI Policies and Programs
For both public and private developments, Milwaukee requires developers to install green infrastructure to capture the first half-inch of rainwater on-site. The city also provides incentives for commercial property owners for the installation of green infrastructure such as a credit on the quarterly stormwater management charge.
Last updated: September 2021
Buildings Policies
Score: 6 out of 30 points
Buildings Summary List All
The City of Milwaukee enforces the state energy code. The city offers several incentives for energy improvement projects. We could not find information on city mandated benchmarking policies or above-code energy action requirements.
Last updated: July 2021
Building Energy CodesList All
Overview
The State of Wisconsin requires local jurisdictions to follow the state building codes. Residential construction must follow the Wisconsin Uniform Dwelling Code. The Wisconsin Uniform Dwelling Code incorporates the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). Commercial construction must follow the Wisconsin Commercial Building Code, which is based on the 2009 IECC. To learn more about Wisconsin’s building energy codes, please visit the State Policy Database.
Commercial
Commercial construction in Milwaukee complies with the Wisconsin Commercial Building Code. The city’s zEPI score for their commercial energy code is 53.8. The City of Milwaukee works with USDN to advocate for more stringent state energy codes.
Residential
Residential construction in Milwaukee complies with the Wisconsin Uniform Dwelling Code. The city’s zEPI score for their residential energy code is 63.6. The City of Milwaukee works with USDN to advocate for more stringent state energy codes.
Solar-readiness policies
The city has not passed an ordinance mandating buildings to be solar ready but allows solar use in all zones.
EV-ready
We could not find information on whether the city has adopted EV-ready ordinances.
Last updated: July 2021
Building Energy Code Compliance and EnforcementList All
The Department of Neighborhood Services reviews projects for energy code compliance and inspects projects. We could not find information on the number of full time employees the city staffs to enforce the energy code. We could not find information regarding upfront support for code compliance.
Last updated: July 2021
Policies Targeting Existing BuildingsList All
Incentives
The Milwaukee Energy Efficiency (Me2) program offers rebates to Milwaukee homeowners for energy efficiency upgrades. Me2 also offers commercial PACE funding and rebates for energy efficiency upgrades for small buildings and manufacturing facilities.
Milwaukee's Targeted Investment Neighborhood and low income weatherization programs grant energy efficiency upgrades and weatherization work to low income homes.
Last updated: July 2021
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Workforce DevelopmentList All
As part of the city’s Me2 initiative, the city entered into a community agreement to provide more job training to women and people of color.
Last updated: July 2021
Transportation
Score: 7.5 out of 30 points
Transportation Summary List All
The transportation authority serving Milwaukee is Milwaukee Transit Services (MTS). MTS provides the public transportation for the city and the broader metropolitan area, including bus services. The Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC) is the MPO in charge of conducting metropolitan transportation planning. Its area of jurisdiction encompasses seven counties, including Milwaukee County, in the southeastern region of Wisconsin. Milwaukee’s Department of Public Works is charged with managing the city’s transportation network.
Last updated: January 2017
Sustainable Transportation Planning List All
Sustainable Transportation Plan
The city has a Pedestrian Plan and a Bike Plan.
VMT/GHG Targets and Stringency
Milwaukee does not have a VMT/GHG target in place for the transportation sector.
Progress Achieved Toward VMT/GHG Targets
Milwaukee does not track progress towards a VMT/GHG target.
Last Updated: November 2021
Location Efficiency List All
Location Efficient Zoning Codes
The city has adopted an LB3 zoning code to promote compact, pedestrian-friendly development along business corridors.
Residential Parking Policies
Milwaukee does not have required parking minimums for single-family and two-family homes, although it is unclear if there are parking requirements for multifamily housing. Parking requirements are also reduced in some districts of the city that are best served by transit. There are no other incentives available to promote location efficiency.
Location Efficiency Incentives and Disclosure
Milwaukee has development incentive zones in neighborhoods of the city in order to create new development projects that are more compatible with existing development and are pedestrian-friendly.
Last Updated: November 2021
Mode Shift List All
Mode Shift Targets
The city of Milwaukee has a set of goals for 2020, including increasing bicycle ridership from 2010 levels so that five percent or more of all trips are made by bike, creating a network of bicycle facilities within one quarter (¼) mile of all City residents that is attractive, safe and appropriate for people of all ages and abilities, and reducing the bicycle crash rate by 50% from current levels.
Progress Achieved Toward Mode Shift Targets
Milwaukee does not track progress towards a mode shift target.
Complete Streets
Milwaukee passed a complete streets policy in 2018.
Last Updated: November 2021
Public Transit List All
Transportation Funding
The transportation entities that serve the City of Milwaukee have received $74,022,721.60 on average annually between 2015 and 2019. That equates to roughly $78.07 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. The City of Milwaukee Transit Connectivity Index value is 7.7, scoring 1 points in the City Scorecard.
Last Updated: November 2021
Efficient VehiclesList All
Vehicle Purchase Incentives
Milwaukee offers discounts on purchases of the Nissan Leaf.
Vehicle Infrastructure Incentives
The city does not have any incentives in place for EV charging infrastructure installation.
EV Charging Locations
The City has 77 charging ports available for public use, equivalent to 13 ports per 100,000 people.
Electric School Bus Goal
Milwaukee does not have an electric school bus goal.
EV Transit Bus Goal
Milwaukee does not have an EV transit bus goal.
Last Updated: November 2021
Freight System EfficiencyList All
Milwaukee 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
Milwaukee does not have any requirements or incentives in place to encourage the development or preservation of affordable housing in transit-served area.
Connecting Existing Affordable Housing Stock to Efficient Transportation Options
Milwaukee is served by the Bublrbikes bike sharing program, which provides discounts for low-income members.
Last Updated: November 2021
Energy & Water Utilities
Score: 7 out of 15 points
Energy & Water Utilities Summary List All
We Energies, an investor-owned utility (IOU) and subsidiary of WEC Energy Group, is the primary electric and natural gas utility serving the City of Milwaukee. The State of Wisconsin requires spending and savings targets for its electric and natural gas utilities through a PSC act. The utilities pool their required spending totals into the Statewide Energy Efficiency and Renewables Administration (SEERA). SEERA is required to create and fund Focus on Energy and to contract, on the basis of competitive bids, with one or more persons to administer the programs. To learn more about the state requirements for electric and gas efficiency, please visit the Wisconsin page of the State Database.
Milwaukee Water Works provides drinking water services to the City of Milwaukee. The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) is a regional wastewater utility that serves Milwaukee.
Last Updated: June 2021
Electricity and Natural Gas Efficiency SavingsList All
In 2019, according to We Energies and Focus on Energy, We Energies achieved 194,027 MWh in net electric incremental savings from We Energies’ ratepayer funded efficiency programs and Focus on Energy programs for We Energy ratepayers, representing 0.082% of retail sales. In 2019, We Energies spent $58,016,045 on electric energy efficiency programs, which represents 2.07% of its electric retail revenue.
In 2019, We Energies and Focus on Energy reported savings of 10.26 MMtherms from natural gas efficiency programs, representing 0.35% of natural gas retail sales. In 2019, We Energies spent $16,837,354 on natural gas energy efficiency, which equates to $14.92 per residential gas customer. Savings on electricity represented in this section cover the entire Wisconsin service territory, not just Milwaukee.
Focus on Energy offers electric efficiency incentives and technical assistance to residential customers.
Milwaukee signed an MOU with the Focus on Energy small business program to market the program as part of its Me2 outreach efforts, and the city has submitted comments to the Public Service Commission expressing its support for strong energy efficiency spending.
Last Updated: August 2021
Low-Income & Multifamily EE Programs List All
Low-Income Programs
Focus on Energy, in partnership with We Energies, provides larger incentives to income-qualified customers for its energy efficiency programs. These larger incentives can be used for participation in the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® and the Heating and Cooling Improvements programs. The Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program uses a whole-home energy audit to determine energy-efficient recommendations for the home. The Heating and Cooling Improvements program provides incentives for improvements made to a home’s HVAC systems. The program is not specifically designed for low-income customers but does offer larger incentives for low-income households in order to lower barriers to participation. The programs address both electric and natural gas end uses, include health and safety funds, and address water efficiency, and target high energy users, the elderly, and households with children. Standard installations for the Home Performance program include carbon monoxide detectors, testing for and repairing gas leaks, and completing combustion safety notification forms for the health and safety of our customers.
The We Energies Residential Assistance Program (RAP) is only available to low-income customers and includes a home energy assessment and weatherization measures ranging from attic and wall insulation to dryer venting to LED installation. We Energies partners with local nonprofits and community organizations to identify candidates for their low-income program through participant referrals. They also provide money saving kits to community organizations for distribution to customers.
Focus on Energy provides larger incentives to income-qualified customers for its home energy efficiency programs, such as HVAC equipment upgrades and building shell (air sealing and insulation) improvements. Eligible customers must have household income at or below 80% of the State Median Income (SMI).
In 2019, according to We Energies, across We Energies and Focus programs, it achieved 2,497 MWh and 0.65 MMtherms, while spending $18,585,494 and $8,492,824 on its electric and natural gas low-income programs, respectively. We Energies and Focus on Energy served 2,954 and 4,347 electric and natural gas low-income customers.
Multifamily Programs
We Energies, through Wisconsin’s Focus on Energy initiative, offers the Multifamily Energy Savings Program. This comprehensive program offers prescriptive rebates for eligible measures, including common area lighting, and custom incentives for performance-based projects. The Multifamily Direct Install Program offers free, direct installation of LEDs, specialty CFLs, pipe insulation, pre-rinse sprayers, faucet aerators, and showerheads as well as water heater temperature setback services and also offers no-cost vending misers and LED retrofits for exit signs in common areas.
In 2019, according to We Energies, across We Energies and Focus programs, it achieved 5,639 MWh and 0.72 MMtherms, while spending $292,814 and $114,870 on its electric and natural gas low-income programs, respectively. We Energies served 5,894 electric housing units in 5,832 multifamily properties and 2,873 gas housing units in 2,949 multifamily properties.
Last Updated: June 2021
Provision of Energy Data by UtilitiesList All
We Energies does not provide building managers with automated benchmarking data through ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager for multitenant commercial or multifamily buildings. The city of Milwaukee does not provide community-wide energy usage information at the aggregate level for community planning and evaluation purposes. In terms of advocacy for policy improvements in data provisions, Milwaukee currently undertakes advocacy efforts though the Refresh Milwaukee plan.
Last Updated: June 2021
Decarbonization and Climate Change Mitigation Efforts of Energy UtilitiesList All
Utility Climate Mitigation Goal
In 2019, We Energies set a goal of reducing carbon emissions by 60% by 2025 below 2005 levels, with the utility achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. To achieve this goal, We Energies will need to reduce emissions by 7.6% annually from 2020 levels.
City-Led Efforts to Decarbonize the Electric Grid
The City of Milwaukee advocated to the PSC in favor of solar tariffs and distributed solar generation. In 2018, city officials published a letter to We Energies urging the utility to create large scale renewable energy options. After working with the City, We Energies created two new renewable energy tariffs: Solar Now and the Dedicated Renewable Energy Resource (DRER). After working with the City, We Energies created two new renewable energy tariffs: Solar Now and the Dedicated Renewable Energy Resource (DRER).
Last Updated: June 2021
Efficiency Efforts in Water ServicesList All
Citywide Water Efficiency and Goals
Focus on Energy distributes low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators, funded by a surcharge on utility bills. There are no water efficiency goals or full programs in place for the City of Milwaukee.
Water Plant Efficiency and Self-Generation
MMSD’s Vision 2035 contains climate change mitigation and adaption strategies with an emphasis on energy efficiency, with the goal of being energy self-sufficient by 2035. The regional wastewater treatment plant uses landfill gas to generate energy onsite.
Last Updated: June 2021
Local Government Score:
0.5 out of 10 points
Local Government Climate and Energy Goals List All
The mayor issued an executive order to cut energy use in local government operations by 15% between 2005 and 2012, but Milwaukee does not have an overall post-2012 energy-related goal for local government operations.
Climate Mitigation Goal
We were unable to find information regarding a municipal climate mitigation or greenhouse gas emissions reduction goal.
Energy Reduction Goal
We were unable to find information regarding a current energy reduction goal.
Renewable Energy Goal
Milwaukee has a goal to increase the city's renewable share of its electricity 25% by 2025.
Last updated: June 2021
Procurement and Construction Policies List All
Fleet Policies and Composition
Milwaukee has 46 hybrid passenger vehicles in its fleet and is planning to add more hybrid vehicles, but we were unable to confirm if the local government has fuel efficiency requirement in place for its public fleet. Milwaukee has committed to purchase electric vehicles as part of the Climate Mayors. We were unable to find data regarding fleet composition.
Public Lighting
Milwaukee has not yet adopted a policy requiring efficient outdoor lighting, such as the International Dark-Sky Association’s Model Lighting Ordinance. Although there is no formal replacement program in place, Milwaukee has replaced 2% of their streetlights with LEDs. The city won a $10,000 award from the Wisconsin State Energy Office to install 54 LED streetlights which will replace the HPS streetlights currently in use. Streetlights are timed to operate only when necessary.
Onsite and offsite renewable systems
Milwaukee has installed multiple onsite renewable energy systems. The city installed 209kW of solar capacity on public libraries in 2019.
Inclusive procurement
While we could not verify if the city has inclusive procurement and contracting processes, Milwaukee has purchasing requirements such as the Resident Preference Program and the Small Business Enterprise requirement.
Last updated: June 2021
Asset Management List All
Building Benchmarking
In Milwaukee, all municipal buildings are benchmarked and then exported to Energy Star Portfolio Manager.
Comprehensive Retrofit Strategies
Milwaukee has implemented HVAC and lighting retrofits in many public buildings. The city has contracted with Edison Energy and has completed work on a Preliminary Energy Reduction Study which provides the foundation of the Comprehensive Energy Plan. The city recently wrapped up a $2 million ESPC and has completed a comprehensive energy assessment of all municipal buildings.
Last updated: June 2021