Energy Efficiency & Rebates

Get the lowdown by visiting their website, where you will find details regarding the following programs:

1. Energy Audits
2. Energy Efficiency Rebates
3. Totally Green
4. Home Energy Savers
5. Net Metering
6. Renewable Energy Resources
7. Renewable Rebates

Black Hills Energy, our natural gas utility, also has a wide range of rebates available for upgrading appliances and home heating devices to energy efficient ones. Visit their website for more information. And of course, we want to reward you too for your great efforts. Be sure to check out our cost-savings energy incentive programs.

Energy Use

Electricity and natural gas are two natural resources that we count on for most of our energy needs. By using them less, we can preserve fossil fuels and reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the air. We do our best to cut down on our electricity and natural gas use in town facilities while encouraging our homeowners and businesses to do the same.

What Is Climate Change?

Carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and halocarbons are naturally-occurring gases in the atmosphere called Greenhouse Gases, which regulate Earth’s temperature by absorbing heat from the sun and warming Earth’s surface. This is called the Greenhouse Effect. Too many Greenhouse Gases will put extra heat into the atmosphere and disrupt the global climate, altering temperature and precipitation patterns and contributing to the effects of Climate Change.

Carbon dioxide is our largest contributor to greenhouse gases, making up over 80 percent of all Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the United States. It is produced through burning fossil fuels like gasoline, natural gas, coal and oil for things like driving our cars, heating and lighting our homes, and running the gondola.

The skiing industry, and therefore Mountain Village and Telluride, are especially vulnerable to the effects of Climate Change. Winter is predicted to start later and end earlier. Snow quality will degrade as rain precipitation increases. And snowmaking capacity will reduce due to warmer temperatures and decreased water availability. Additional impacts that scientists predict will occur as a result of Climate Change include earlier peak run-off in spring, followed by decreased natural water storage, increased summer droughts, and increased potential for water shortages throughout the West.

In 2009, the Town of Telluride and we adopted a goal to address Climate Change by reducing the Greenhouse Gas Emissions caused by the towns. Moreover, we believe that establishing an energy goal and creating a plan of action to reach that goal is only the beginning. And at the end of 2014, we achieved a 22 percent reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions in total government emissions, meeting our pledge five years ahead of schedule.

Efficiencies in buildings, snowmelt heating systems, transportation, recycling and renewable energy have already helped and will continue to help us reduce per capita emissions. But significant political and community will is needed if these goals and the challenges presented by Climate Change are to be met. Ultimately, meeting this challenge will be a direct result of individual action that drives a revolution in the way we produce and use our energy.

Energy Conservation & Efficiency

In 2009 we adopted the state’s Climate Action Plan goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from government operations 20 percent by the year 2020.

To reach this ambitious goal, the town implemented a long list of efficiency and conservation projects in all government buildings and facilities, including the gondola, where all lights were upgraded to LEDs. This project alone reduced the electricity used for gondola lighting by 70 percent and carbon emissions by 100 tons annually.

By 2015, we achieved a 22 percent reduction in emissions, five years ahead of schedule.

To monitor progress toward this goal, we track monthly energy use in our public facilities, including electricity, natural gas, fuel consumption, waste disposal, and recycling. Data is collected, analyzed and distributed to the various town departments to review and identify potential opportunities for further reductions and efficiencies.

Saving Energy in your Workspace

• Office Heat: All thermostats in the office building should be set at 65 degrees. We realize that everyone’s comfort level is different so please do your best to dress appropriately for the season with enough layers to stay warm throughout the workday. Although personal space heaters are not prohibited, they do use a large amount of energy and could thwart our efforts to conserve, so please use your personal space heaters sparingly when necessary.
• Windows: Pulling your blinds down at the end of the day could help keep the offices warm and prevent the heaters from coming on during the night when no-one is here. In the summer, open windows instead of using air conditioning. Please close your blinds and windows when you leave your office for the night to keep the heat in and the cold out.\
• Computers, Printers, Electronics: These devices require a “phantom” load of energy when plugged in and not in use. Please remember to turn off electronic devices when leaving for the night and/or weekend when possible, or use electricity strips for greater ease and efficiency.
• Office Lights: Please turn off the workspace lights when you are not in the office or shop, and especially at night and on weekends, to make sure valuable electricity is not being wasted.

If you have additional ideas for how to conserve in the workplace, please bring them to your supervisor’s attention so that your ideas can be distributed to the rest of the Mountain Village team.

Green Light Program

• 75% off LED Bulbs at the time of purchase.
• In-person sales at regional Farmers Markets in Telluride, Mountain Village, and Ridgway, no online sales (specific locations and dates announced soon)
• This sale will be during June 2019.
• You must have your SMPA bill, or SmartHub on your phone, with an active account number to be eligible to purchase. The SMPA LED rebate rules limit purchases. See the rules here.
• This will be the last year of Greenlights. Tri-State is ending LED rebate funding.

Did you already buy LED bulbs in 2019? You can receive a 50 percent rebate on LED bulbs anytime from San Miguel Power Association. Email questions to or call (970) 728-1340.