Equipment upgrade brings $110,000 rebate check and lower energy bills

Reported by Ann Rascalli (who thinks it’s that time of year for a snow-related energy post!)

Despite the very cold temperatures today, a hearty group of managers from Breckenridge Resort and Xcel Energy celebrated the resort’s receipt of a $110,800 rebate check from the utility company for installing 70 new energy efficient snow guns and
upgraded controls.

The combined snowmakers will save over 721,000
kilowatt hours of energy this winter – enough to power about 100 CO homes for a year, according to Xcel.

The new snow guns are hardly the first energy efficiency upgrades the resort has installed. In fact, Breckenridge has been at the forefront of energy savings since 1990 when it installed Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) on the 5 Chair and C Chair of the Peak 8 base area. 

Throughout the year, Xcel Energy offers programs to its business and municipal customers to encourage them to make energy-efficient choices when buying equipment or systems. The rebates and study funding help customers lower their energy costs and reduce their impact on the environment.

Anmong the programs that Breckenridge Ski Resort promotes are: resource conservation, recycling and other forms of waste reduction, wildlife habitat preservation, and environmental education. In addition to snowmaking equipment and lighting upgrades that save energy, the “Breck” has re-graded areas to reduce the need for snowmaking and installed new restroom equipment that is expected to save 100,000 gallons of water per year.

For more information on Xcel Energy’s new and existing energy efficiency programs, go to www.xcelenergy.com. Select “Colorado” for the state site you wish to visit. Under the “Business” drop down menu, select “Programs and Resources.” Then, click on “Conservation Rebates and Incentives” to find a list of programs.