by Todd Leopold, Administrative Services Director
comments open from December 23 until January 11

Next time you visit a Jefferson County building, you may see workers installing new compact fluorescent light bulbs, notice reduced water flow on faucets, or see solar photovoltaic collectors on rooftops – all the results of an energy audit that identified ways for the county to save energy and money.

According to the audit, Jefferson County stands to reduce its CO2 emissions by 5.4 million pounds and save 15 percent to 18 percent in annual utility expenditures, or roughly $280,000, a year. At a November Staff Briefing, commissioners adopted a resolution accepting Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) funds and directed staff to begin pursuing some energy-conservation projects.

Those projects include:

• Lighting: Replacing incandescent lamps with compact fluorescent; installing, LED exit signs, occupancy/daylight sensors and high-efficiency T-8 lighting.
o Cost: $530,000
o Cost Savings: $54,000 a year with a project payback of 8.6 years
o Energy Impact: CO2 reduction of 1 million pounds a year

• Water Conservation: Installing low-flush valves on urinals and toilets and low-flow aerators on faucets.
o Cost: $200,000
o Cost Savings: $17,000 a year with a project payback of 12 years
o Energy Impact: Water savings of 170,000 gallons a year

• Policy Changes: Automating the nightly shut-down of computers; reducing small appliance usage by employees; setting building temperature at 75 degrees in the summer and 68 degrees in the winter.
o Cost: Staff time to implement
o Cost Savings: More than $60,000 in the first year
o Energy Impact: CO2 reduction of 2.7 million pounds a year, which is equal to planting 31,570 trees or eliminating 165 cars from the roads

The county also plans to investigate several renewable technologies, including installing solar photovoltaic collectors on the Laramie Building on the main Jeffco campus and the Evergreen and Central Road and Bridge Shops.

In total, the county’s energy savings would equal planting 63,140 trees or eliminating 330 cars from the roads. The plan also has the potential to create and/or retain 44 jobs.

Projects would be self-financed with the $1.8 million in EECBG funds, $250,000 in utility rebates and $55,000 a year in renewable energy credit payments from Xcel Energy, low-interest Qualified Energy Conservation Bonds, and other grants, possibly from the Governor’s Energy Office.

McKinstry, a Seattle-based company with offices in Conifer, conducted the energy audit. McKinstry will begin preparing detailed scopes of work for priority projects and will work with County staff on creating financing plans.

Check out the Energy Efficiency category of blog postings to learn more about what Jefferson County is doing.