Tag Archives: utilities

Salt Lake City Partners with Utilities to Improve Building Energy Efficiency

Last Friday, Salt Lake City was recognized by The White House and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for its efforts to unlock access to energy data for building owners and improve energy efficiency.

Since 2013, Salt Lake City has partnered with both Rocky Mountain Power and Questar to provide whole-building energy data access to building owners through the Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager Tool. The effort, which is on track for completion in 2017, will ensure effortless energy data management for building owners, providing a complete picture as to building energy use and enabling them to employ more responsive strategies.

“Salt Lake City, Rocky Mountain Power and Questar are working together to help building owners understand how their building is operating and to identify opportunities to improve energy management,” says Vicki Bennett, sustainability director for Salt Lake City. “By automating and streamlining the process, more Salt Lake City building owners will be able to improve energy efficiency – ultimately saving energy, money and emissions.”

Salt Lake City is committed to improving air quality, and buildings play an important role in emissions. The most recent data from the Utah Division of Air Quality show that 39% of existing air pollution comes from area sources (i.e. homes and businesses). This percentage is expected to increase significantly over the next 20 years as vehicles become more efficient, making building energy efficiency efforts more and more important.

Last week, Mayor Jackie Biskupski extended an invitation to leading industry experts to share their ideas and best practices for energy efficiency in buildings, as part of the Elevate Buildings process.

“There is nothing more important than the air we breathe, and working to clear our skies is a top priority of my administration,” says Mayor Biskupksi. “By collaborating with industry experts we will help improve air quality through increased energy efficiency our city’s largest buildings.”

Learn more about Salt Lake City’s efforts to cut energy waste in buildings at SLCgov.com/ProjectSkyline.

Wasatch Watershed: Snowflakes to Your Tap

60% of the water used by residents of Salt Lake City and the Valley’s east bench comes from canyons in the Wasatch Mountains. The Utah Chapter of the Green Building Council is hosting what promises to be a fascinating exploration into the successes and challenges of protecting Salt Lake City’s water.

The Wasatch Front Watershed: Snowflakes to Your Tap
Thursday, September 26 from 4-6 p.m.
Salt Lake City Public Library
Register online or pay at the door.
Questions: programs@usgbcutah.org

In the 1950’s, access to City Creek Canyon, a source of Salt Lake City’s drinking water, was closed to public use for over 10 years due to bacterial contamination, public health concerns and damage to the City Creek Watershed. Lessons learned from this event and the ensuing restoration of City Creek Canyon, as well as other water sources across the nation have informed Salt Lake City’s watershed protection policies for the last several decades.

Join Laura Briefer, Water Resources Manager, for the Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities to learn about Salt Lake City’s role, perspectives, successes, and challenges in protecting the main sources of Salt Lake City’s water supplies in the Central Wasatch Mountains – including recent scientific research and other work regarding climate change impacts on Salt Lake City’s water supply.

The Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities (SLCDPU) is a municipal water supplier responsible for the provision of drinking water to over 300,000 people in the Salt Lake Valley. Laura manages SLCDPU’s Water Resources Division, which includes watershed management, water conservation, hydrology, water rights, and land preservation functions.

Sprinkler Check Saves Water, Landscape & Money

Guest blog written by Stephanie Duer with Salt Lake City Public Utilities, Water Conservation Program.

Water is making headlines—the drought, water shortages, and use restrictions are in the news. Every city and water system is different, with some communities in more dire circumstances than others.

Here in the service area of Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities, which includes the city as well as Cottonwood Heights, Holladay City, Mill Creek Township, and portions of Murray and South Salt Lake, our supply is reduced due to the low snow pack and spring run-off.

Good water management practices, coupled with historically strong community response to conservation programs means that, at least for the moment, we have adequate water stored to meet our needs this summer. However, we need to consider our future water needs as we use water today and act accordingly.

With this in mind, have you thought about getting a free sprinkler check?

The sprinkler check program is a free service designed to reduce water use while maintaining turf health. The service is offered to homeowners, property owners, and property managers with in-ground, pressurized lawn sprinkler systems.

Utah State University’s Kelly Kopp, Associate Professor and Extension Water Conservation Specialist, says that the program “helps people conserve water in an area of the greatest use, while maintaining landscape quality; we are enhancing the landscape by teaching homeowners and property managers how to conserve water and avoid the detrimental impacts of over-watering.”

Public Utilities, in partnership with USU and the Metropolitan Water District of Salt Lake & Sandy, provides free sprinkler checks to all water customers within the Utilities’ service area. Begun in the late 1980’s with Salt Lake County Extension and Public Utilities, the sprinkler check program has grown to reach most of the state, with many water districts supporting the program in their communities.

Since the program’s beginning, hundreds of Utilities’ customers—residential, commercial, and institutional—have received free sprinkler checks and have been saving water—and money—ever since.

How the Sprinkler Check Works

When you schedule a sprinkler check, a team from USU (usually two interns for residential audits and more for large sites like parks or schools) comes to the property and makes both visual and physical inspections of the sprinkler system.

With the sprinklers on, the team looks for sprinkler heads that are tilted, cracked, mismatched, or too low—anything that could reduce the system’s efficiency and lead to water waste or lowered landscape quality.

The team also conducts a catch cup test using calibrated cups for measuring water collected from the spray heads to determine how much water is applied and how evenly it covers the turf.

When the inspection and testing is complete, the team provides the home or property owner with a customized watering schedule and a list of improvements to increase system efficiency, reduce waste, and maintain or improve turf health.

“This program isn’t about deprivation; it’s about enhancing our landscapes by learning how to use water appropriately,” says Kopp, adding “at its core, the sprinkler check program speaks to the true mission of the Cooperative Extension program—to sustain our resources and constructed landscapes through science and shared knowledge.”

Sign Up for Your Free Sprinkler Check

Call 1-877-728-3420 or visit SlowTheFlow.org.

You can also find more ways to save water at SLCSaveH2O.com.