GOLDEN — Jefferson County officials would like to cut the county’s $3 million annual energy bill by forming partnerships with local companies.
Through a new initiative, energy companies will be invited to strut their stuff by placing cutting-edge technologies on the county campus in Golden.
“What we want to do is make our rooftops, buildings and some ground available,” said Commissioner Kevin McCasky.
“We’re looking to be energy-efficient and save taxpayers’ money by reducing our utility bills while at the same time, they can showcase their companies’ technology,” McCasky said. “They can install their technologies, bring their clients out and show them what they do.”
Jefferson County is a base for industry leaders such as the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Colorado School of Mines, Colorado Energy Research Institute and the Colorado Fuel Cell Center.
It’s also home to about 500 renewable energy-related businesses, said Preston Gibson, president of the Jefferson Economic Council.
“Colorado is one of the strongest states in terms of support of renewable energy, and Jefferson County is the epicenter for new energy technology,” Gibson said.
The goal is to support those companies’ efforts, Gibson said, while attracting more high-tech, high-paying primary jobs to the county.
“We do know companies that would want to do this,” he said.
Energy companies will be alerted to the initiative at the Oct. 23 meeting of the Energizing Tomorrow Task Force, a group formed two years ago as a forum to share ideas.
The initiative will dovetail with an energy audit of all county buildings that should be ready by the end of next year.
McCasky said the county then will have a better idea of which projects are the best fit, whether it’s window film or solar-equipped light poles.
“We have done a lot of conservation measures, but we’re not seeing a big bang for the buck,” said Wade Yates, the county’s special projects coordinator.
The audit will spell out what the payback period would be if a dishwasher at the jail is replaced or an energy-hog air conditioner is scuttled, Yates said.
Ann Schrader: 303-278-3217 or aschrader@denverpost.com
