Firefighters of the Burning Mountains Fire Protection District in are expected to reduce their carbon footprint and improve service to the communities of Silt and New Castle, Colo., from their new, sustainable 14,800-square-foot fire station.

The Lakota Canyon Ranch Fire Headquarters incorporates high-tech green features that will payback in operational savings over time. “The station includes a solar-energy system with 108 solar panels designed to produce half of the building’s electric needs and reduce electricity bills by an estimated 60% to 75%,” said Regional Manager Christopher Pfeiffer of CR architecture + design.

The savings on electric bills should pay for the system in about 20 years, said Fire Chief Brit McLin. The system cost $62,000 of the $4.4 million budget after a $53,000 incentive from Xcel Energy.

Additional savings are anticipated from the station’s geo-exchange heating and cooling system. This system allows heating and cooling to start from a fixed temperature using 400-foot-long tubes that are in the ground and filled with a glycol fluid. The tubes take on the constant 55-degree temperature of the ground. Costing approximately $100,000 more than a traditional system, it is designed to reduce natural gas and electricity use by 32% (based on current utility costs) and pay for itself within nine years.

The use of daylighting to improve the indoor environment and minimize energy usage, photo sensors and timers to reduce electric consumption, and water conservation measures to conserve 7,000 to 8,000 gallons of water each year were other smart design and construction considerations.

BMFPD also successfully reduced the environmental impact of the project while effectively bolstering the local economy during construction. Approximately 35% of the materials used and 100% of the labor came from regional suppliers.