Ritter commends ‘green' school

Palmer Ridge High School students learned about "vampire electronics" - appliances that suck energy - Wednesday.

They are in the right place to learn. Gov. Bill Ritter presented the school and Lewis Palmer School District 38 an award for having one of the most energy-efficient schools in the state.

The "Harnessing the Earth's Energy Award" comes from the area's electrical provider, Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, and its local co-op, Mountain View Electric Association.

The new 217,000-square-foot school is the largest building in Colorado with geothermal heating and cooling.

Ritter, warning of the dangers of greenhouse emissions and climate changes, told the students they should be proud their school is energy efficient.

"If we do nothing your generation and your kids will have a very different planet. It's that serious," Ritter said. Money saved can go toward classroom needs, he said.

Ritter toured the school's geothermal system, which has more than 200 wells bored 400 feet deep. Such systems use subterranean temperature to heat and cool. Electrical heat pumps bring the air into buildings, allowing much higher energy efficiency. The system cost about $7.8 million, and will cut energy costs by half.

The system and other green features have saved the school more than $60,000 in energy costs so far, and earned it $200,000 in energy-efficiency rebates from Tri-State.

The $45 million high school opened in fall. While a handful of states require green school construction, Colorado relies on rebates and incentives to promote conservation.

Colorado would only move toward mandatory green construction if those efforts fail, Ritter said.

Ritter played an energy game with students. The last contestant eliminated was Hayden Powell, 15, who won an iPod and energy-efficient light bulbs.

Powell said he likes the green school because "it's not too hot or too cold." Several other area schools are going green, including the new Vista Ridge High School in Falcon School District 49. Colorado School District 11 has geothermal heating in several buildings.

Palmer Ridge's green features include a system that reduces light pollution at night; classroom lights that adjust to available sunlight; motion sensors that turn lights and temperature down when rooms aren't occupied; water-efficient wildflower lawns and native plant landscaping; and concrete floors and walls, which reduce maintenance costs.