Yolo County staff presented the final findings of a year-and-a-half, ARPA-funded study that inventoried fossil-fueled equipment at county facilities and modeled scenarios for replacing gas-powered systems with electric alternatives.

Study background and scope: The county contracted AECOM to perform a comprehensive inventory and feasibility study for fossil-fuel removal at roughly 28 county sites. The inventory documented about 400 gas-powered, stationary units across facilities (HVAC, water heating, kitchen and laundry equipment), not including fleet vehicles. Staff emphasized the project focused on fuel substitution (replacing fossil-fuel equipment with electric alternatives) rather than just improving efficiency.

Cost estimate and scenarios: The study estimated approximately $13 million would be required to replace existing gas-powered equipment countywide with electric alternatives, including necessary electrical upgrades. Staff presented three implementation scenarios:

1) End-of-life replacements: Replace equipment with electric alternatives when units reach the end of their useful life (typical timelines led to much of the gas equipment remaining online into the 2030s).

2) Accelerated electrification to pursue the county'adopted net-negative-by-2030 municipal goal: a high-cost scenario (approximately $13 million) that staff said would be difficult while many recently installed gas systems remain under financing arrangements.

3) Budget-constrained incremental approach: a smaller annual set-aside scenario using a $375,000 pot for targeted projects; this results in a much slower turnover with some gas equipment remaining into the 2050s.

Key operational constraints: Staff noted that many HVAC units were replaced under a Trane contract roughly five years ago and remain covered by debt service; many installed systems have a remaining useful life that makes immediate wholesale replacement financially impractical. Five facilities would require major electrical upgrades before full electrification could occur.

Board reaction and next steps: Supervisors asked about the ability to set aside funds, how to time purchases and whether planned equipment failures could be opportunities to electrify. Staff said the county will use the study'developed prioritization framework to integrate projects with capital improvement schedules, pursue grant opportunities (a new climate grant writer is on board), and plan to bring an energy manager on staff to support solar and distributed-generation strategies. The Ag department yard and Walnut Park Library were cited as examples of upcoming all-electric projects. Staff concluded that removing fossil fuels from municipal operations by 2030 is technically possible in many cases but unlikely at current funding levels and given recently financed gas equipment.

What this means: The study gives the county a prioritization framework (considering remaining useful life, GHG reduction potential, electrical-upgrade needs and facility priority) and a menu of financing scenarios. The board directed staff to identify candidate projects for the capital-improvement plan, to pursue grants, and to return with more detailed implementation timelines and funding proposals.