This much-needed focus on public buildings will provide a unique opportunity to educate and inspire the community, while saving valuable taxpayer dollars through energy conservation. Matching funds and community collaboration brings important momentum to FortZED.

Mike Freeman CEO, Rocky Mountain Innosphere

SMART BUILDINGS

Retrofit existing buildings; educate the community through programs, signage and displays

The New Energy Communities Grant, funded through the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, has eleven projects underway in Fort Collins, Loveland and Larimer County. Three of the projects are in the FortZED boundaries. Most projects will be complete by the end of 2010.

These projects were designed to reduce the energy consumed in existing public buildings, thus saving us all money. Fort Collins Utilities is working with the Grant partners at multiple sites to upgrade, replace and install technology and equipment that will make these buildings more energy efficient.

Here are some project highlights

Larimer County Justice Center, 201 Laporte Ave.

Five new high efficiency heating and cooling units replaced the original units that ran 24/7, but could not keep up with the building loads. This made the old units very expensive to operate, and the building was still uncomfortable. The NEC Grant partially funded the installation of three of the new units. Monthly operating energy costs for the facility are 20 percent less per month since the new units were installed, and the building is now comfortable for the occupants.

City Hall, 300 Laporte Ave.

City Hall is a thirty-two-year-old building. Many offices located around the exterior walls experience severe comfort problems, which over the years has been very difficult to remedy. The NEC Grant funded a shell study which identified thermal bridging from the outside brick to the inside brick as the main culprit. The inside brick is connected to the outside! This problem cannot be rectified without realigning the thermal envelope of the building and replacing the windows. A very expensive proposition, which cannot be done at this time. Other recommendations in the shell study, such as positively pressurizing the building and sealing some air leaks, should help some, but won’t solve the problem. A retro-commissioning of the HVAC system and upgrades to the Building Automation System (BAS) were also done with NEC Grant funds. The improved functioning of the HVAC system, and the improved monitoring with the BAS, will help reduce the amount of energy consumed in this large, heavily used public building.

Poudre River Public Library District Downtown Library, 201 Peterson St.

The Library has had a complete lighting upgrade! Old inefficient lighting is out and new high-efficiency lamps and ballasts are in! The Library HVAC system has also been retro-commissioned, and repairs are under way. Check back soon for data results!

Need more information?

Here's a brief glossary of FortZED terminology.

Need a quick overview of the project? Here's a flyer for you to download and print.