Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency

100% Wind Power

Vail Resorts (Breckenridge’s parent company) is the second largest company in the to offset 100% of its electricity usage with wind power through the purchase of 152,000 megawatt-hours of renewable energy certificates. At Breckenridge, this means clean, renewable wind power offsetting all of the electricity used by the mountain. For Vail Resorts as a company, clean, renewable wind will offset the electrical usage at Breckenridge, Keystone, Vail, Beaver Creek, and Heavenly mountain resorts, as well as at all Rock Resorts lodging properties, Grand Teton Lodge Company, and Specialty Sports Ventures retail stores.

The renewable energy certificates ensure the delivery of clean wind power to the power grid, thereby displacing an equivalent amount of energy that would be been created by non-renewable sources such as coal or natural gas. Vail Resorts’ company-wide wind power purchase of nearly 152,000 megawatt-hours will prevent the emission of over 105,000 tons of carbon dioxide (a leading contributor to global warming) into the atmosphere each year, and is equivalent to:

• The electricity used to power 14,200 homes for 1 year
  
• Preventing the emissions of 18,000 cars for one year
  
• Planting over 27,000 acres of trees

Lower Energy Snowmaking Guns
Higher efficiency nozzles have been put on 350 tower snow guns around Breckenridge. Each of these guns now uses over 20% less electricity than before (through reduced compressed air use), allowing more guns to operate at any given time and 20% more snowmaking to occur while using the same amount of electricity. In 2007, 25 low-energy tower guns and 6 fan guns were added to the snowmaking arsenal. These new tower guns use 66% less compressed air than traditional guns, while the fan guns make snow without the use of any supplemental compressed air. Both types of guns added in 2007 further improve the overall electrical efficiency of the snowmaking system.

Variable-Frequency Drives on Lifts
17 of 30 lifts at Breckenridge have variable-frequency drive motors (VFDs). The VFDs allow a higher percentage of the electricity coming in from the grid to be effectively used to drive the lift and generally use approximately 30% less electricity to run a lift than a traditional drive. On 17 lifts, this significantly reduces electricity use.

Building Efficiency Upgrades
Numerous electrical upgrades have been put in place at Breckenridge facilities to improve efficiencies:

• Light bulbs have been upgraded to compact fluorescent bulbs wherever possible.
• Outdoor air temperature sensors have been installed at a number of buildings to shut off heat when it does not need to run.
• LED exits signs have replaced incandescent versions, saving over 300 kWh per year per sig
• Timers and motion sensors have been installed in bathrooms to ensure lights are not left on for long periods of time.>
• Clivus toilets are installed at 4 locations on-mountain. The toilets compost waste and do not require plumbing, saving huge amounts of water.

Dirt Work in Park
In summer 2006, 5,985 cubic yards of dirt were put into the Freeway terrain park for use as bases for jumps. This dirt saves over 1,000,000 gallons of water from being used to fill the same area with snow each season, and as a result, saves an estimated 44,000 kWh of electricity annually.

BreckConnect Gondola and Fuel Savings
The BreckConnect Gondola has reduced diesel usage by buses by 2,200 gallons in December 2007 over the same period last year. The expected reduction in diesel for the entire season is over 10,000 gallons.

To reduce our impact on natural systems, we also support:

Fish and Wildlife Habitat Protection
Recycling and Waste Reduction
National Forest and Pine Beetle