With Summit County carbon emission numbers on the rise, the Summit County Council is taking a hard look at stronger measures to curb those numbers.
“From 2011 to 2013 we still need to reduce by 126 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. That means about 120 kilowatts of solar power, or turning the Richins building off half the year,” County Energy Programs Specialist Stephanie Dolmat said at the Aug. 29 County Council meeting.
To achieve the county’s goal of a 13 percent emission reduction by 2013, the staff is recommending focusing on the biggest building carbon emission contributors: the Justice Center at Quinn’s Junction and the Courthouse.
The county could save $10,000 to $20,000 annually in utility bills if they were to do an energy audit upgrade on the Justice Center, which is responsible for almost half the county’s building carbon emissions. The upfront costs for the upgrade, however, are estimated at $5,000 for the initial audit and up to $300,000 for the upgrade, said Dolmat.
The animal control building and public works building have already been undergoing large retrofits, with a total estimated utility bill reduction of $7,000 annually, she added.
The largest carbon emission culprit in the county is the landfill.
“The landfill is dominating the carbon footprint with methane gas. Staff recommends we focus on the 13 percent carbon-emission-reduction goal excluding the landfill,” Dolmat said.
Though the landfill belongs to the county, it’s the residents that are contributing to it. And while the county plans to look at community-wide emissions, their focus is currently government operations.
“We’re going to be looking at the landfill, but more in terms of waste diversion than carbon, and instead focus on the buildings,” Dolmat said.
Council Chair Dave Ure said they have already diverted 30 to 40 percent of waste from the landfill and wondered why the emissions continue to grow.
“You would have to implement food composting and commercial recycling and really just start aggressively pursuing zero waste,” Dolmat said. “But even if the landfill were closed today, emission would still rise for at least 10 years as the waste decomposes.”
Proposed projects to meet the carbon reduction goal.
1.
Audit and upgrade the Justice Center to achieve a 10 to 20 percent reduction in Justice Center electricity and natural gas use. This would save $10,000 to $20,000 a year in utility bills and save 71 to 142 MTCO2e. Built 17 years ago, the Justice Center is the most energy-intensive building in the county and is due for a major HVAC upgrade.
2.
Audit and upgrade the courthouse for a 10 to 15 percent reduction in courthouse electricity use. This would save $4,000 to $6000 a year in utility bills and save 42 to 63 MTCO2e. The lighting has already been retrofitted so more significant upgrades will be required to see additional emissions reductions.
3.
Install 20 to 40 kilowatts of solar PV panels at county facilities. Staff applied for and passed the first screen for a Blue Sky grant to install a 40-kilowatt PV panel system at the Summit County Public Health Center. The upfront cost is between $105,000 to $215,000 with a yearly benefit of $2,300 to $4,600 in electricity bill savings as well as a 21 to 43 MTCO2e reduction. Regardless of the grant, staff recommended the county install additional solar panels on county property.
4.
Include CNG vehicles on the fleet purchasing policy, install a CNG fuel depot, purchase more fuel-efficient passenger cars, replace SUVs and light trucks with passenger cars and expand the capacity of officers to bicycle patrol.
Courtesy of Summit County