Luxury tax improves community's energy efficiency
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The stairway at the new Aspen High School uses daylighting to save electricity. It's one of many projects sponsored by REMP funds.
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The city of Aspen and Pitkin County, Colo., have crafted a local response to global warming with an innovative tax on energy consumption that has raised more than $2 million for local energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.
Launched in 2000, the Renewable Energy Mitigation Program requires homeowners who wish to exceed the city's strict energy "budget" for new buildings either to install a renewable energy system or to pay a renewable energy mitigation fee.
Builders ask for flexibility to meet strict code
The limits on energy consumption were published in the Aspen and Pitkin Energy Conservation Code in 1997. Homeowners who exceeded the limits because of the size of the house or exterior snowmelt, pool or spa features could add a renewable energy system to make up the difference.
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REMP funds help support the Roaring Fork Valley Vehicles car sharing program. The super-efficient hybrid—gasoline/electric—Prius is one of two cars members of the RFVV program share.
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That solution didn't work for everybody, noted Aspen's Chief Building Official Stephen Kanipe. "Designers would tell us that they really wanted to comply, but no matter how tight they made the building envelope, there was still a deficit, and it just wasn't a good solar site."
"Unregulated outdoor heating can end up tripling the wintertime energy use of luxury homes," concurred Phil Overeynder, city utility director. "Until the code addressed those outdoor applications, we were missing the big picture."
Local design industry members asked how they could support the development of renewable energy offsite, an idea that made sense to the municipal utility and to the Community Office for Resource Efficiency.
CORE is an eight-year-old, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency in western Colorado and beyond, with primary focus on the Roaring Fork Valley. The organization's partnership with Aspen Municipal Electric has produced several progressive energy initiatives, including the conservation code. "The challenge of helping builders comply with that code gave us the opportunity to create a program unlike anything in the nation," recalled Randy Udall, CORE's director.
Program gives homeowners choice of energy solutions
After two years of meetings, consultations and public comment, as well as input from numerous engineering and building professionals, the municipalities and CORE unveiled the two-part fee structure at the heart of REMP. The one-time fees are assessed when building permits are issued.
The first fee requires the homeowner to pay a flat figure of $5,000 to the city for a home larger than 5,000 sq. ft. The payment goes up to $10,000 for homes sized bigger than 10,000 sq. ft. This includes new or remodeled homes. Alternatively, the homeowner can meet the requirement by installing a two-kilowatt photovoltaic or equivalent renewable energy system. "It's a fairly even split between those who pay and those who are willing to build a system," commented Overeynder.
The second fee relates to exterior snowmelt, pool and spa systems. REMP assigns each a standard for energy use and calculates the fees on the following formulas:
- Snowmelt energy use = 34,425 BTU/yr/sq. ft. at 100 percent equipment efficiency.
- Pool energy use (year round) = 332,000 BTU/yr/sq. ft. at 100 percent equipment efficiency.
- Pool energy use (summer only) = 29,000 BTU/yr/sq. ft. at 100 percent equipment efficiency.
- Spas = 430,000 BTU/yr/sq. ft. at 100 percent equipment efficiency.
Overeynder notes few have complained about the fees. "When you present the program in its proper context, people understand. We either offset the cost—both economic and environmental—of luxury energy consumption, or we place more restrictions on use. Being able to show where the money goes also has helped build support for REMP," he added.
Fees finance broad array of projects
The variety of energy efficiency and renewable energy projects funded by REMP reflects a comprehensive approach to reducing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, while advancing the Roaring Fork Valley toward a sustainable energy future.
Ordinarily, a facility like the new Iselin Pool and Ice Rink would use enormous amounts of energy to heat and cool the same building to polar opposite temperatures. However, REMP grants have put the recreation center on the cutting edge of energy efficiency, with super-efficient boilers to heat its air and a natural gas microturbine to generate its electricity.
REMP fees paid for large solar hot water systems in a local affordable housing project. It helped the city of Aspen set up a car sharing program for its employees and provided incentives for lighting retrofits in area buildings. Aspen Municipal Electric uses REMP funds to help purchase a large block of wind energy from the new Kimball, Neb., wind farm. In addition, Aspen and rural electric cooperative Holy Cross Energy are evaluating REMP-funded micro hydroelectric projects.
CORE has applied REMP funds to its on-going solar production incentive program, which pays 25 cents per kWh for energy produced by solar photovoltaic systems and provides $1,000 rebates on solar hot water systems. "It has helped us maintain the best solar incentives in the state of Colorado," said Udall.
Rebates on energy-efficient laundry machines are also available, thanks to the program. Udall plans to add more rebates for energy-efficient equipment purchases including programmable thermostats and refrigerators. As REMP's administering agency, CORE develops funding proposals which are reviewed by the CORE Board, and then approved by the Pitkin County Commissioners and Aspen City Council.
The municipal government's commitment to conserving and developing energy resources has been crucial to REMP's success, noted Kanipe. "This program only worked because our elected officials decided that responsible energy use is a priority for the community."
In accepting that responsibility, Aspen and Pitkin County have created an intriguing model for local action.
