The HRCA Green Team would like to remind everyone that the HRCA continues to strive daily in setting the standards for a “greener” community by continually researching opportunities that will make the HRCA more energy efficient, not just short-term, but long-term as well.
"Champion environmental stewardship and sustainability" is one of the HRCA Directors' Visionary Statement and Objectives and the HRCA strives daily to achieve this objective and become more energy efficient and green. In addition to adding solar panels to two Recreation Centers and leasing hybrid vehicles, many basic practices the HRCA has already put into place are listed below.
HRCA Energy Conservation
Lighting
- Light motion sensors have been installed in all areas of the facilities where the occupancy is very limited (storage closets, back hallways, etc).
- Incandescent lights have been replaced with CFL lights throughout the facilities.
- Where applicable, larger wattage, hotter burning Metal Halide lamps have been reduced to lower wattage Metal Halide lamps that burn cooler and use less energy but still provide enough lighting to ensure a safe environment. As an example, the lighting in the Activity Pool area at Southridge was changed from 1000 watt Metal Halide lamps to 400 watt Metal Halide lamps with the Fitness Pool being changed from 400 watt Metal Halide lamps to 250 watt Metal Halide lamps. This practice has also been completed at the Westridge pool and is in the process at Eastridge.
- Northridge has had several areas of the building retrofitted with more energy efficient lighting (gym, racquetball courts and locker rooms)
- All facilities are equipped with timers that operate the exterior lighting and are programmed to only come on during certain times of the morning and night. Exterior lighting can also be programmed to stay off during early facility closures and Holiday closures
- All facilities recycle the lamps that have been replaced - CFL's and Halide lamps need to be disposed of properly, not just thrown into a dumpster.
HVAC
- HVAC or rooftop units provide the heating and cooling to the facilities throughout the day and are maintained and serviced at a high level.
- These units operate on Time of Day schedules, Days of the Week and individual zones which allow the units to heat or cool a space as needed. Heating and cooling setpoints are strictly monitored to maximize the efficiency of each unit.
- At the end of each business day, the HVAC units will go into an "unoccupied" mode which basically shuts down the unit until the next day when the Time of Day schedule kicks in. The HVAC units are also programmed to stay off anytime a facility has an early closure or a Holiday closure.
- In September 2010, the Eastridge gym was equipped with 12 thermal equalizers, or small fans that equalize the air temperature from floor to ceiling throughout the gym to maintain a comfortable temperature. Each thermal equalizer uses about 3 watts of power with the idea of using less energy from the HVAC unit that services the gym. These thermal equalizers have allowed us to keep the heating setpoint at a low level and the cooling setpoint at a higher level (63 degrees for heating and 76 degrees for cooling). At this time, the only part of the HVAC unit that is running is the dampers that allow fresh air to circulate through the unit and into the gym. Since September, the gym space has maintained a space temperature of 70 degrees without the use of heat or cooling from the unit. The energy saving thermal equalizers are doing all the work.
Irrigation/Landscaping
- The Xeriscape garden at Eastridge is a prime example of plant life that thrives no matter what the conditions are - special care has been taken to select the right plant for each area of the garden.
- The Xeriscape garden uses minimal water.
- Irrigation systems at each facility are carefully programmed to provide the right amount of water needed for the turf areas. Depending on the type of irrigation head (pop ups or rotors) each zone is carefully programmed to avoid "soaking" an area. Instead of watering an area for 30 mins, a zone maybe programmed for 10-15 mins to avoid unnecessary run off.
- Each irrigation system has a rain sensor as part of its program. These sensors can be adjusted to a certain amount of rainfall, when that amount of rainfall is reached, say 1/8", the irrigation clock will shut off and not allow the irrigation to run. When the sensor dries out, the irrigation system will return to its normal operating program.
Recycling
- The HRCA has implemented recycling practices at each of the facilities, anywhere from trash waste to paper and battery recycling.
- Each facility has a recycling dumpster that allows for Single Stream recycling. In the past, any recyclable item had to be separated (paper from plastic, etc). Single Stream recycling allows the HRCA to place any type of recycling item into one container which saves time and man power from separating each item. Each facility has single stream recycling containers throughout the building for staff members and patrons to use.
- The HRCA also practices battery recycling at each facility. Battery buckets are in different areas of the facility where a staff member can dispose of a battery. Once these buckets are filled, they are placed in a recycling container and disposed of properly. The HRCA will recycle dry cell batteries (9-volt, AA, AAA, etc), lead batteries (think of your car battery - some type of battery that contains liquid) and tool batteries (any cordless tool).
- Since the use of office paper is a large part of any business, the term "Just read it, don't print it" has become standard practice at the HRCA. When practical, many documents are scanned into the computer and saved for future reference.
On behalf of the Green Team, we thank all residents and staff members who continually do their part in making the HRCA and Highlands Ranch “Greener."