The City’s Energy Action Plans: Much More Action Needed
In 2023, the City of Falls Church adopted an energy and climate action plan for the community with a goal of a 50% reduction in release of fossil fuel emissions that cause climate change by 2030 and 100% (net) by 2050. To support these goals, the City also adopted a plan describing actions to change City government operations to dramatically reduce emissions, mostly by buying its electricity from renewable sources. Although the City has taken some constructive actions under the plans, these actions fall short of what is needed to meet the adopted goals.
OVERVIEW
These two energy and climate plans mark an important new commitment by the City to take actions over the long-term to reduce fossil fuel emissions. The Falls Church Climate Action Network strongly supported adoption of the plans. There are, however, two big-picture problems with the energy and climate plans.
First, the Community Energy Action Plan (CEAP) identified pathways to achieve only a 30% reduction by 2030, rather than the adopted 50% reduction goal. The chart below helps people to visualize the relative contributions that can be expected from emissions reductions in various sectors. It also clearly illustrates that additional actions will be needed to meet the 2030 reduction goal. The City has committed to review and revise the plans in 2026, and that will be a chance to align actions with the 2030 emissions reduction goal.
Reductions in Greenhouse Gas Emissions Envisioned in the Community Energy Action Plan (Pg. 10, Exhibit 3). VMT = Vehicle Miles Traveled; VCEA = Cleaner electric grid mandated by Virginia Clean Economy Act; BAU = Business-As-Usual through 2030 without new actions or policies; MTCO2e = metric tons of carbon dioxide, equivalent, per year
The second problem is that full and timely implementation of the energ
y and climate plans is constrained by limited funding and staff resources. The City has priorities in many areas other than energy and climate, and actions to implement the energy plans must compete for limited resources.
A key question arises: What progress is the City making in implementing the actions described in the two energy and climate plans?
In a second annual status report published in May 2025, the City described work underway to implement the Community Energy Action Plan. Members of the FCCAN reviewed the status reports and other related information and found significant progress in some areas but limited or no progress in others.
Metrics of Progress
A key feature of the 2025 CEAP status report is new information on metrics showing progress toward goals in the plan. For example, the report indicates an increase in electric vehicles registered in the City, from 202 EVs in 2023 to 297 in 2024. This is 2.7% of currently registered vehicles; if plug-in hybrids are added, the 2024 total is 4.3%.
Unfortunately, most metrics show limited or no progress:
1. Per capita energy use in the City increased significantly (+5%) from 9,465 kWh to 9,945 kWh from 2022 to 2023 (this could be due to weather, increased commercial activity, etc., and covers a period before the CEAP was adopted);
2. Just one permit for a new residential electric heat pump was issued in 2024, while the CEAP calls for 250-300 per year, with no natural-gas furnaces installed;
3. No permits for new electric water heaters were issued in 2024, while the CEAP calls for 150-200 per year, with no new natural-gas waters heaters installed;
4. Addition of only five new residential rooftop solar arrays in 2024, a small fraction of what the CEAP envisions.
Actions Implemented
Looking at the specific actions identified in the CEAP, FCCAN found improvement from last year in several key areas:
1. More Actions Assessed: We now have more complete information about implementation, because the steps “assessed” (i.e., steps included in the plan and to be implemented in the time period of the status report that are addressed in the status report) increased from 30% in the 2024 report to 51% in 2025.
2. More Actions “On Track:” Actions “On Track” with respect to the projected implementation timeframe increased from 23% in 2024 to 30% in 2025.
3. More Actions with “Some Progress:” Actions with “Some Progress” increased from 17% in 2024 to 27% in 2025.
4. Fewer Actions “Off Track:” Actions “Off Track” decreased from 60% on 2024 to 42% in 2025.
Unfortunately, in the case of the Government Operations Energy Action Plan (GOEAP), the City has not provided a written status report in 2025. But the staff has briefed the City Environmental Sustainability Council on recent work. In general, some actions called for in the GOEAP are moving forward in the timeframes envisioned but a significant number of actions appear to be behind schedule.
Looking at progress under both the community and city government energy plans, there are some key “good news” accomplishments and some “bad news” shortfalls since June 2024:
Good News
COMMUNITY PLAN
1. One-Stop-Shop for Homeowners Seeking Emissions Reductions: Operation and expansion of web-based “one-stop-shop” providing the public with information about opportunities to shift from fossil fuels to electric power;
2. Successful Grant Application for Building Audit Grant Program: Approval by the State of Virginia of the City’s application for funds to make grants to homeowners to reduce costs of home energy audits; the grant program would begin in 2025;
3. Bike Master Plan: Adoption of the Bike Master Plan, including cooperation with the Capitol Bikeshare program and addition of electric powered bikes along with conventional bikes; and
4. Adoption of Metrics for Measuring Progress: The City improved transparency by developing a series of metrics to measure progress toward the goals in the CEAP (e.g., number of electric cars registered) and reported progress against some of the metrics in 2025. This effort also revealed that few contractors apply for the required permits before installing new gas-fired equipment.
GOVERNMENT PLAN
5. Community Center Geothermal HVAC: Successful project (completed in 2025) to replace the main HVAC system at the Community Center with a geothermal heat pump system (with the federal subsidy, the City found this to be the cheapest option);
6. Solar Power for Aurora House: Approval of funding for the addition of solar panels to the city-owned Auroa House providing low-cost power for many years;
7. Commitment to Energy Audits of City Buildings: Commitment for one government and one school building each year; and;
8. Cancelling Funds for Renewable Energy Credits: Stopping the City’s purchase of low-cost renewable energy credits from out of state that do little to promote development of renewable energy in Virginia or elsewhere.
Bad News
COMMUNITY PLAN
1. Commercial Energy Audit Program Delays: Delay in launching a 2023 Council-approved pilot program to fund energy audits for smaller commercial businesses (about 25% of our CO2 emissions are due to our commercial buildings). Delay was due to a lack of interest among audit contractors given the comparatively small size of commercial buildings.
2. Pedestrian Safety Delays: No reported actions to implement a range of pedestrian safety actions in the plan, including development of a sidewalk master plan and assessment of use of crossing guards to encourage kids to walk to school.
GOVERNMENT PLAN
3. Gas-Powered Vehicle Purchase: Purchase of 8 new internal combustion engine vehicles and a diesel-powered school bus recently after finding no practical EV or hybrid options complied with mission need, or in the case of the bus, insufficient funding. (These vehicles will be legacy carbon sources throughout the years of their useful life.)
4. Power Purchase Agreement Delays: No reported progress to develop an RFP for a long-term contract (possibly in partnership with other jurisdictions) for a wind- or solar-Power Purchase Agreement by 2028 to achieve City government emissions reductions by 2030.
5. High School Building Energy Inefficiency: The operation of the HVAC system at Meridian High School is resulting in energy use far above projections (see this article in the Meridian Lasso newspaper).
6. City-School Coordination Delays: Work to establish a standing working group to bring government and school managers together for plan implementation and to provide quarterly status reports to the Superintendent and City Manager is behind schedule.
7. Staff Education on Energy Efficiency: Actions to develop and implement a staff engagement campaign to ensure staff understand how energy plans may impact their responsibilities and the importance of achieving the City’s Plan goals is not mentioned in status reports.
8. Fleet Procurement Plan: Work to develop a fleet procurement plan for purchases through 2030 and map out EV charging station needs is not mentioned in status reports.
FCCAN hopes that this assessment can be helpful to the City in considering future investments, and to the public in understanding progress to date.
Summary Assessment of CEAP Actions
The FCCAN assessment of progress in 2024, and partly into 2025, under each specific action in the CEAP is available on the FCCAN webpage: https://fccan.net/letters.
The table below summarizes the assessment of the FCCAN. Actions in the Tracking columns are assessments for total actions (i.e., not just actions reported on in City Status Report).
Community Energy Action Plan
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