Mesa County Saves Taxpayers Money by “Going Green”
Mesa County is moving forward with energy-saving projects identified in a recent audit. Mesa County Comimssioners approved nine construction projects aimed at saving both energy and money, in county buildings and properties.
These projects are expected to pay for themselves within 11 years by reducing the county’s energy spending. The changes should reduce the organization’s greenhouse gas emissions by almost 2.4 million pounds of carbon dioxide each year. According to the county’s contractor, Chevron Energy Solutions, the annual environmental impact of the these projects is similar to planting 329 acres of trees, or taking 159 cars off the road for the entire year, every year the measures are in place.
While this project has a benefit of making the county a more environmentally friendly organization, we were especially pleased that the project will not only pay for itself but save the tax payers money.
The energy conservation projects include: installation of a water-side economizer to make the cooling system at the Mesa County Justice Center more efficient; installing new ozone-based laundry equipment at the Mesa County Jail to reduce water heating and consumption; and upgrading county facilities to more energy-efficient lighting.
The total cost of these projects is approximately $1.2 million. Construction should be complete by 2010.
