The Platte River Power Authority, located in Fort Collins, Colo., is a not-for-profit power company that generates and delivers reliable, low-cost, and environmentally responsible electricity to the communities of Estes Park, Fort Collins, Longmont, and Loveland, Colo. In 1998, Platte River and Fort Collins utilities were the first power companies in Colorado to provide wind-generated electricity from its wind site in Wyoming.
While Platte River, as an organization, was a pioneer of renewable energy and green practices, its office headquarters did not reflect the company’s commitment to environmental stewardship. Jeff Menard, Platte River’s facilities and security manager, was growing increasingly concerned with the 23,500-square-foot, late-1970s office building’s poor thermal envelope as the building’s systems were essentially at the end of their useful life as the existing boiler and chiller provided sub-par comfort control, air distribution, and efficiency.