| Local Policy Description: | Distributed Energy/Combined Heat and Power Local Program
Denver is generating electricity from an alternative fuel with its own micro-turbine, currently supplying Police Station #4. This cutting edge technology will be a cornerstone in the distributed generation field.
Recommended Policy for 2010: A demonstration project at the Washington Park Fire House will introduce this fuel cell technology at another location. Other locations will be chosen for expansion as the costs come down and the city's experience with this technology goes up.
Electrical Use Policy-Plug Load
The Denver Department of Environmental Health developed and adopted electrical use policies for staff. Three walk-through surveys over two years have been completed showing a compliance rate increase from 80% to 85%. Employees shall endeavor to minimize energy use by the office machines they use, within the bounds of reasonable working procedures. Machines for individual use shall be switched off at the end of each workday, unless machines are involved in department support processes that are necessary beyond normal working hours.
In the case of shared equipment such as printers, every effort will be made for the last user to switch devices off upon leaving at night. This does not apply to machines, such as fax machines, which must remain active after business hours.
Machines shall be configured for operation of power management features unless these features demonstrably impair the machine's necessary functions. Before disabling power management features, every effort shall be made to establish proper function with the aid of Information Services staff, and the vendor or manufacturer from which the machine was purchased.
Staff should not introduce personal plug-load electrical appliances into their work space that are not directly related to official business, e.g., individual coffee makers, radios, etc... In some cases (e.g., the medical examiner's office) TV and radio reports may be necessary in the conduct of official business. Task lighting and overhead lighting for conference rooms, printers, other equipment and supply rooms should be turned off when leaving the space, and general office lighting should always be turned off at the end of the day by the last employee to leave, or whoever may be assigned that duty. Information Services staff will assist in education of machine users, by answering questions as they arise concerning power management features such as ENERGY STAR, and will remind staff of official policy in these areas where appropriate.
All divisions shall select/purchase energy efficient equipment, e.g., ENERGY STAR, when available.
Recommended Policy for 2010: The goal of the Electric Use Policy is to have it voluntarily complied with by all city agencies using the city's Environmental and Transportation Coordinator network. The next phase would be to secure a mayoral executive order resulting in a greater than 90% compliance rate. The final phase is to promote this policy and actions to the private sector for voluntary implementation.
Green Building Fund and LEEDs
This fund has been established for 2001 to enable the city to fund energy efficiency, conservation and renewable energy projects for new and remodeled municipal buildings. This fund was needed because most times municipal capital projects include only requirements that meet code-because of budget restrictions-and/or, because building code officials and design and construction personnel sometimes do not have the expertise or knowledge necessary to specify energy efficiency in buildings. The funding for 2001 and 2002 is set at $75,000 ($150,000 total). To date, seven buildings have been reviewed with 50% of the recommendations being included. The fund has a goal of meeting the LEED Silver certification level for new buildings. For existing buildings, recommendations are on an ad hoc basis and include items as diverse as a more efficient therapy pool heating system, shading a new HVAC system from heat and direct sunlight, and T-5 high output lights. The Denver Department of Public Health and Environment conducts a design review of each building, makes recommendations at the 60%, 80% and 95% construction document stage. When specific recommendations are made, other relevant city agencies (Budget, Utilities) are consulted before funds are expended.
Recommended Policy for 2010: The City and County of Denver intends to increase its Green Building fund as needed between 2001 and 2010 or incorporate mandatory green building practices into its design and construction management standards. The city will also promote this concept through the Urban Consortium's Energy Task Force (A Public Technology, Inc. committee) and other venues as appropriate to gain acceptance and adoption by other U.S. municipalities. Finally, the city will follow a policy that requires that any private/quasi-public building receiving city, state or Federal funds passing through the city meet the LEED silver certification level. The city will also provide and promote the LEED checklist to private developers of commercial buildings at the time of permit application.
Green Lights
This program-initiated by the Utilities Division--resulted in the upgrading of lighting in 14 million square feet of city buildings. Denver is using the following advanced energy technologies: compact fluorescents, LED exit signs, occupancy sensors, T-5 and T-8 lighting, specular reflectors, low-emissive window film, building insulation, high albedo roofing, electronic ballasts, daylighting, and dimming. Taken together these efforts resulted more than 1500 tons of CO2 reduced each year. EPA recognized the City and County of Denver's many efforts with the 1997 Green Lights Government Partner of the Year and Outstanding Project of the Year awards.
Recommended Policy for 2010: The Green Lights Program will add boiler replacement and gas stack dampers as well as any other cost-effective measures to reduce energy costs and improve environmental quality.
LED Traffic Signals
In 1996, the city provided funds through the Department of General Services to replace incandescent bulbs with LED's in 1200 intersections containing 55,000 signal indicators. Denver projects its annual energy savings at approximately 7.88 million kWh and $500,000 per year. Retrofitting old traffic signal lamps with LED traffic lights have recently proven to produce substantial energy, materials and labor savings, pollution prevention and improved visibility. The LED conversion project is expected to reduce annual emissions of carbon dioxide by 8,894 tons. This is equivalent to removing 1,094 cars from the road. Thus far 13,000 red, 13,000 green, and 8,000 orange lights have been replaced.
Recommended Policy for 2010: The LED traffic signal program will increase as Denver grows and adds more LED traffic lights to the system and will include 13,000 yellow and 8,000 white (pedestrian "walk" hand symbol) when they become available.
Public/Private Partnership
Public Service Company of Colorado and the City and County of Denver are cooperating on the largest such partnership in the country to supply chilled water and steam heat in a district that includes 15 city facilities on two campuses covering over five million square feet. A centralized coal/gas fired electric power plant provides the steam with a separate facility supplying the chilled water that offsets the city's electric load for air conditioning. PSCO will handle all operations, maintenance, and replacements over a 45-year period.
The Denver Water Department has electrical generating equipment on several Colorado mountain streams at high altitude. The hydropower is used for peaking and is replenished during off peak periods.
Recommended Policy for 2010: The city is looking into partnering with Public Service Company of Colorado on a utility-sized 250 MW power plant. This is now in the planning stage.
Public Utility Commission (PUC) Intervention
City staff has long been involved in PUC energy-related dockets ranging from franchise agreements, deregulation, demand-side management, renewables and the like. Through intervention, (written and oral testimony), several city agencies have proven effective in keeping rates low, promoting utility programs that encourage conservation, system reliability, adequate reserves, and equity among customer classes. Because of these activities, the city has benefited economically from participation in the resulting programs offered by the utility.
Recommended Policy for 2010: In the future, Denver will sustain its involvement in Public Utility Commission activities and become more proactive in intervention, advocacy, and education such that energy efficiency and renewable energy programs are advanced to keep rates and bills as low as possible for all customer classes. This may well involve restructuring. Franchise renewal is due in 2006 which will give the city additional opportunities for conservation.
Renewable Energy
Stapleton Environmental Monitoring and Renewable Energy Site: Program: The Denver Department of Environmental Health's Environmental Protection Division has installed several solar photo-voltaic panels and a complete meteorological monitoring station on the former National Weather Service Site at Stapleton. Outside the main building is a 1.5 kW array of solar PV panels connected to the power grid. This allows net metering to take place. On two smaller buildings and two light poles, freestanding solar PV panels provide direct current for lighting purposes. The weather station measures solar radiation, wind speed and direction, rainfall, temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure and soil moisture levels. The weather station is connected via radio-telemetry to the region-wide storm alert system of the Urban Drainage and Flood Control District. It is also remotely monitored from the Department's offices nearly 10 miles away. The United States Weather Bureau continues to operate an adjacent site for twice-daily balloon releases.
Recommended Policy for 2010: The Stapleton Environmental Monitoring and Renewable Energy site will be enhanced by adding more solar PV panels to offset electrical loads from the building and to power the monitoring equipment. Monitoring will be expanded to include visibility, airborne gases, and other elements of interest. When fully operational, the site will establish a record over time of the impact of urban development on the Stapleton neighborhood.
Wind Source Program
Public Service Company of Colorado's Wind source Program has signed up more than 17,000 customers who pay a premium of 2.5¢ per kilowatt-hour for energy from this renewable source. The additional monthly cost per residential customer averages about $15.00. This program consists of 66 wind turbines on two wind farms in northern Colorado, which generate 60 megawatts of electricity. One megawatt serves about 300 homes. Each 164-ton, 237-foot tall wind turbine can generate up to 900 kilowatts of electricity. The City and County of Denver purchased 660 100 kW blocks per month over a three-year period.
Recommended Policy for 2010: The Wind Source and other like programs will be promoted by the city to increase the total amount of electricity consumed from wind resources. An aggregate purchasing initiative will be developed and promoted each October--which is "Energy Awareness Month".
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