$1 Million Saved Through Conservation in One County Alone

By Kevin Hamm

Aurora, CO– In times of tight budgets, any cost savings are welcome. Due to the foresight of the Arapahoe County, CO commissioners, nearly $1 million was saved last year thanks to conservation efforts in the county’s buildings.

In 2004, Arapahoe County entered into a contract with Chevron Energy Solutions to assess the energy and water usage of the county’s facilities and make recommendations on improvements. Since then, more than $10 million in electrical, natural gas and water improvements have been made, said Curtis Cole, the county’s energy resource conservation specialist.

The contract guarantees a certain amount of annual savings if the recommendations are implemented, Cole said. Last year, it guaranteed savings in the amount of $587,727, but the county actually saved $737,813 after implementing the recommendations, and when other factors that aren’t monitored under the contract are added in — such as lighting improvements and water conservation efforts — the savings were $969,505.

County commissioner Pat Noonan said the board of commissioners started looking into the issue when the county began having concerns with the heating and cooling systems in some of its buildings and were looking to make upgrades and save money on energy costs.

Cole credits the county’s forward-looking thinking when budgets weren’t as strained as they are now.

“It was good planning since it all started when revenues were better,” he said. “It might be a tougher sell now, honestly.”

Cole is the person who monitors the conservation efforts and looks for any additional places improvements can be made. The big improvements made so far are things like replacing old boilers, chillers and cooling towers with newer, more efficient models, he said, but a lot of small things add up as well.

The county has upgraded lighting and temperature control systems in many of its buildings so they operate more efficiently, something that has the added benefit of employees’ comfort. “We’re not going nuts with freezing you in the winter and boiling you in the summer,” Cole said. “You can have a comfortable workplace and still save money.”

“We’re in it for the long haul,” he said. “A little bit of money spent now amortized over 10, 20 or 30 years is a gift that keeps on giving. It’s a benefit to taxpayers.”

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Source: Yourhub.com