Public agencies nationwide face unprecedented pressure from rising and increasingly volatile energy costs. While the cost to generate electricity is decreasing, the cost to deliver it continues to climb, driven by utility investment cycles, infrastructure strain, climate events and growing demand. For public agencies, every spike in utility rates can translate into significant budget strain, which translates directly into tough choices: delayed maintenance, reduced services, hiring freezes or diverted funding from core community priorities.
Drawing from real-world examples, this session, hosted by NLC and Schneider Electric, will illustrate how these models deliver measurable community benefits: enhanced resilience during climate events, reduced O&M burden on understaffed departments, accelerated sustainability progress and meaningful taxpayer savings over decades. Participants will also gain a simple messaging framework they can use to communicate energy affordability and budget stability to council members, constituents and other stakeholders.
Speakers:
Ann Simon, Deputy Director, Policy & Sustainability Officer, Albuquerque, NM
Christian Edwards, Vice President, Business Development & Strategy, Budderfly
Christine Weydig, Industry Principal, Schneider Electric
Hal Corin, Head of Development, Viridi