Denver’s Regional Transportation District operates a fleet of 36 hybrid electric buses on the 16th Street Mall, each powered by a dual electric and compressed natural gas (CNG) engine. The buses have greater fuel efficiency and produce lower emissions than a typical diesel bus. It is one of the world’s largest fleets of advanced heavy-duty alternative vehicles. Credit: TransTeq.

City & County Building Lights Save Energy

On November 24th, Mayor John Hickenlooper officially unveiled new LED lights that will be used in the annual holiday display at the City and County Building.

“The holiday display at City Hall is a great tradition in Denver,” Mayor Hickenlooper said. “We appreciate the generous WalMart Foundation donation that made updating the lights possible, and we are proud to join the foundation in making our community a more energy-efficient place to live, work and play.”

City workers in past years have climbed all over the City and County Building to install 1,003 traditional flood lights in advance of the holidays. Then they would repeat the work to take the lights down after the New Year. This year, City workers installed 585 LED light fixtures that will stay on the building year-round. The new holiday display will also use more than 2,000 feet of LED rope light.

By using LED lamps and turning the display off one hour earlier each night, the 2009 display will reduce energy consumption by 80%. The display will save over 33,400 kilowatt-hours of energy, and prevent the release of over 55,000 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

The LED retrofit project is saving the City money in the first year, due to savings in utility, labor, and maintenance costs, as well as avoiding the replacement of an expensive energy panel due to the increased efficiency of the new lamps. The project will save the City almost $180,000 per year in the future. The LED bulbs can be expected to last over 6 times longer than the incandescent bulbs, reducing replacement costs for decades.

Making Smart Choices to Decrease Energy Demands and Improve Air Quality

There is widespread scientific consensus that global climate change is a long-term problem and its economic, social and environmental impacts may take years to fully unfold.

Even as the impacts of this change are still being understood, it is clear that good government requires that we address and manage the risk of potential impacts through our actions wherever possible.

There is likewise consensus that slowing or reversing human contributions to greenhouse gas may take decades, even with immediate and aggressive actions by people worldwide.

In Colorado, potential impacts on snow pack and related water supply and tourism effects are
cause for concern for industry leaders and policy-makers alike.

Managing risks and ameliorating possible impacts takes vision and discipline. At the local level, transitioning to an energy mix that is dominated by cleaner fuels such as natural gas, wind and solar, and implementing higher energy efficiency standards will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and bring many additional benefits, including improved air quality, lower energy bills and reduced dependence on foreign oil supplies.

Denver is the Balanced Energy Capital of the West, with an economy focused on both the supply and demand sides of a complex energy challenge.

On the supply side, Denver continues to be a world leader in solar research and the hub of natural gas exploration and development throughout the Rockies. More recently, it has added wind energy and incentives for individual applications through Amendment 37 – legislation passed by Colorado voters in 2004 requiring that 10 percent of all electricity produced must come from renewable sources by 2015. On the demand side, Denver’s business community is beginning to pursue more aggressive energy management and efficiency programs.

This balanced approach will contribute to a sustainable future for our children while meeting the reliability and use demands of our community during this transition period.

A cornerstone of Greenprint Denver’s energy management and energy efficiency goals includes the development and implementation of an updated Greenhouse Gas Reduction Plan.

The GGRP will monitor the emissions impacts of the city’s work over time, including adoption of high-performance building practices, reducing materials use and waste production, support for growth patterns that deemphasize reliance on cars, and development of more renewable energy sources for the city.