Eagle County airport completes retrofit of exterior lighting to high-efficiency LED bulbs

The latest in the county’s environmental sustainability efforts has been completed at the Eagle County Regional Airport (EGE), where over 90 light fixtures along the airport’s roadways and parking lots have been retrofitted with high-efficiency LED bulbs. The project was part of Eagle County’s “15 x ‘15” initiative, which seeks to reduce countywide spending on energy, fuels, water and paper 15 percent by 2015 while supporting increased recycling, adoption of renewable energy sources and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

Preliminary estimates indicate the upgrade will reduce EGE’s electrical consumption by 77,000 kilowatt-hours per year, for a total annual savings of $8,277. Funding for the approximately $53,000 project was provided through a $19,515 ECO Build grant and $13,650 in Holy Cross Energy rebates, with the remaining $19,920 coming from the airport’s capital improvement project fund.

EGE Aviation Director Greg Phillips says energy efficiency improvements have been a priority at the airport for some time. “We know that in our unique region, environmental sustainability and economic development go hand-in-hand,” said Phillips. “Our continued efforts to reduce environmental impacts at the airport are as important to our guests as they are to our community.”

In addition to the outdoor lighting project, other efforts over the years include:

2004 – Taxiway A on the airfield fitted with LED taxiway lights
2008 – Implementation of terminal recycling program
2011 – Side arm water heating unit installed to serve domestic hot water needs in the terminal, allowing the terminal’s four boilers to be shut down from May through September
2012 – Software upgrade and investment in new air handler controls to allow automated control of terminal HVAC system
2013 – Replacement of all baggage make-up room lighting to high efficiency bulbs
2013 – Installation of lighting controls for interior lighting
2014 – LED lighting upgrades in vendor/concession operations area – in progress