Falls Church’s Community Energy Action Plan
In late 2023, Falls Church’s City Council adopted a Community Energy Action Plan, with a goal of helping residents and businesses reduce their carbon footprints substantially.
Implementing the Plan will require continuous support from City Council via funding, state-level advocacy, and local legislation. A July 2024 FCCAN blog post reviewed progress to-date.
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Community Energy Action Plan Overview
The City of Falls Church has adopted goals of reducing its community-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions vs. 2005 levels:
By 2020: 20 percent reduction
By 2030: 50 percent reduction
By 2050: 100 percent reduction (net zero)
These are very similar to goals adopted by most jurisdictions in the greater D.C. area. The adopted Plan currently targets only about 30% reduction by 2030, deeming this “aggressive but practical.” The Plan calls for its own update every 3 years.
Falls Church Greenhouse Gas Trends
For more detailed data, see Falls Church Greenhouse Gas Inventory - 2005-2020 (Google Sheet).
Nearly 90 precent of Falls Church GHGs come from energy used for transportation and residential and commercial buildings. The Plan focuses on these. It describes the scale of activity that needs to occur over the next six years to drive progress toward the City’s 2030 target, including:
By 2030, half of all passenger-car purchases are zero emission, increasing to 100% of car purchases by 2035;
By 2030, a 20% reduction in vehicle miles travelled by residents;
200-350 heat pumps for space heating installed annually;
150-200 water heaters electrified annually;
60 houses undergo whole-home efficiency improvements annually;
Through 2030, solar installed on about 50 residential rooftops each year; comparable number of solar panels on commercial roofs.
Next Steps in the Community Plan
Implementing the Plan will require continuous support from City Council, staff, the Planning Commission, and volunteers.
What can residents and businesses expect to see in the near term? The Plan lists potential “Next Steps.” These include:
1. An online “one-stop shop for information on deploying heat pumps, energy efficient appliances, rooftop solar, and electric vehicles in the city” has been deployed.
For Transportation Emissions:
2. To increase bike safety, the long-awaited update to the Bike Master Plan is underway. The City may also revise policies to facilitate the use of scooters and e-bikes (Plan Action 1.3).
3. The City may consider financial or tax incentives to address the up-front costs of electric vehicles and chargers (Plan Action 2.2).
For Building Emissions:
4. A pilot program to support commercial energy audits has received funding (Plan Action 3.2).
5. Staff may develop a campaign to help reduce energy use in Low and Moderate Income (LMI) buildings (Plan Action 3.4).
