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Larimer County highlights 20 years of energy upgrades, plans geothermal‑powered emergency services building
Summary
Facilities staff told the county board that two decades of efficiency work — from LED retrofits and solar to turf replacement — set the stage for a geothermal system at the new emergency services building, supported by roughly $2.5 million in grants and new monitoring to track savings and demand charges.
Larimer County commissioners heard a work‑session briefing March 23 from facilities staff on more than 20 years of energy‑ and water‑efficiency work and the county’s near‑term plans to monitor and extend those gains.
Barb Andrews, the county’s energy manager, outlined the program’s arc: a 2004 building component replacement program that established recurring funding for mechanical and envelope improvements; early renewable projects including a small geothermal system at the landfill in 2007 and rooftop solar in 2010; and a recent push for LED lighting and water‑saving turf changes. "That building component replacement program was a pivotal, foundational piece for us," Andrews said, describing it as the reason the county can plan work years in advance.
The most prominent new project is the county’s emergency services building, which staff said is being designed as the county’s first full‑electric building with a geothermal mechanical system. Ken Cooper, facilities director, said the geothermal option added what he described as roughly a…
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