The Adams County Board of Commissioners recently awarded a contract to McKinstry, a Colorado Governor’s Energy Office pre-qualified Energy Services Company, to complete nearly $2.37 million in energy saving upgrades at the Adams County Detention Center. The upgrades will save the county over $208,000 annually in utility costs and reduce total greenhouse gas emissions by 2,156 metric tons/year.“Adams County is working hard to become more economically and environmentally sustainable,” said Commissioner W. R. “Skip” Fischer. “Conserving resources is an increasingly important priority for this board of commissioners.”
The Detention Center was selected for the energy saving upgrades because it will yield the most immediate cost and energy savings of all county facilities. The project will facilitate energy and water conservation measures, including retrofitting or replacing over 2,400 light fixtures, installing energy misers on vending machines, tuning over 600 water fixtures, replacing over 90 toilets with low-flow units and installing an automatic ozone sanitation system for laundry equipment to reduce hot water demand. Once complete, the project will reduce the facility’s annual electric consumption by 22 percent, natural gas consumption by nine percent and annual water consumption by 28 percent.
“This investment will make the Detention Center more efficient so we can eliminate waste and use county resources more responsibly,” said Sheriff Doug Darr.
The total cost of the project will amount to $2,369,498. The county will leverage $1,869,498 from the general fund with $480,000 in Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant funds awarded by the Department of Energy and a $20,000 rebate from United Power to pay for the project.
“The Board of County Commissioners’ championed this project to ensure a sustainable future for Adams County citizens and the environmental well-being of the community,” said Adrienne Dorsey, sustainability coordinator. “The success of this project is the result of collaborative efforts between Adams County, the Governor’s Energy Office and McKinstry.”
