The City of Fredericton is taking bold action to reduce the energy use and emissions of its municipal services, investing in new practices, retrofits, and technologies to increase efficiency and wean itself off carbon fuels.
As of 2023, the City of Fredericton has reduced emissions from municipal buildings by roughly 500 tonnes since 2004, despite adding over 150,000 sq. ft. of new space, including its two highest energy users, the Grant-Harvey Centre and Willie O'Ree Place
What is the city doing?
- Establishing energy performance requirements for new and renovated municipal buildings
- De-carbonizing existing buildings through energy retrofits, upgraded equipment, and increased efficiencies
- Installing renewable power sources
- Tracking the energy and water consumption of municipal buildings
- Switching municipal vehicles to hybrid or electric
- Communicating the climate impact of Council decisions and proposals in the City’s capital budget and Council reports
- Exploring various carbon removal approaches
Sustainable Buildings
The City of Fredericton owns and operates dozens of buildings, from recreational facilities and community centres to public works depots and fire stations, all managed by the Building Services division. We are committed to reducing emissions and transitioning to renewable energy.
Building Upgrades and Sustainable Operations
The City is taking steps to cut energy use in our buildings by upgrading lighting, windows, heating systems, automated building controls, and more. We are also adding rooftop solar panels where it makes sense and light coloured roofing to reduce heat gain. Our Building Services team works with programming staff and users to operate only when required and is focused on preventative maintenance. These changes help us fight climate change and save taxpayers’ money on energy costs.
Highlights include:
Future Buildings
The City’s Green Building Guidelines direct the design and building of new municipal buildings. We have committed to going above and beyond to:
- Build highly efficient buildings
- Incorporate renewable energy
- Conserve water
- Use refrigerants with Ultra Low Global Warming Potential
- Landscape with native plants
Sustainable Fleet
The City owns and operates hundreds of vehicles and pieces of equipment, from push mowers and saws to fire trucks and dump trucks, all managed by the Fleet Services division. We’ve committed to reducing emissions from our fleet and transitioning to renewable energy.
Electrifying the Fleet
We are transitioning our fleet and equipment to hybrid or electric as they become due for replacement. We currently have dozens of hybrid or electric vehicles and pieces of equipment in our fleet. Some highlights include:
- Electric cargo vans for our Building Services division
- Several electric pickups/cars in our Parks and Trees, Roadway Operations, and Building Services, and Building Inspection divisions
- Hybrid vehicles are in operation in all departments
- Electric ice resurfacers
- Hybrid Fredericton Police Force vehicles
- Electric bicycles in our Community Safety Services Unit
- Hybrid Fredericton Transit busses
To support these vehicles, we have installed dedicated fleet charging ports at our depots.
Fleet Purchases
In 2024, Council adopted Fredericton’s Green Fleet Guidelines and decision-making framework to support future fleet purchases, which allows us to:
- Right size and optimize all new purchases to ensure we are using the right vehicle for the right job to meet the service level
- Reduce the number of vehicles that sit idle
- Choose the most sustainable fuel type that is suited for the job
- Evaluate total cost of owning a vehicle (purchase plus fuel cost)
The Guidelines apply only to City-owned vehicles and do not extend to those owned by contractors on municipal projects or privately owned vehicles.
Efficient Driving Practices and Vehicle Ownership
In 2024, the City adopted an Anti-idling Policy for our vehicles to reduce wasteful fuel use. Idling and speeding are monitored through a telematics system installed on all our vehicles.
The City has installed Automated Vehicle Location (AVL) on all municipal fleet to better understand usage, monitor idling, and understand which vehicles are better suited for replacement with hybrid or electric. We now have data to make informed decisions.
Other operational considerations include:
- Vehicle sharing and ensuring the fewest number of vehicles are traveling to a meeting or job site
- Proactive maintenance and repairs
- Education and driver training
- Repurposing vehicles that are beyond their expected useful life
Tracking our progress
Interested in knowing what actions the City of Fredericton is taking to meet its climate goals? The Environmental Dashboard is where you can learn more about our climate initiatives, track our progress, and find out how you can help. The information on the dashboard is updated annually and will grow when new initiatives are undertaken.