OURAY, COLO.—If Karen and Richard Avery could save another therm, they would. They certainly are trying. The couple, who own the 39-room Box Canyon Lodge & Hot Springs in Ouray, Colo., have reduced the lodge’s natural gas consumption by more than 70 percent in the past four years. The Averys have wisely invested in a geothermal system that utilizes the natural hot springs on their 2.6-acre property. Once used by the Ute Indians many years ago and last century for a sanitarium, the hot springs are used to heat the guestrooms and all of the hot water for the property.
Water flowing out of the hot springs is 140 degrees. It flows into a concrete tank where hundreds of feet of copper coils have been placed. City water, which flows at a temperature of 40 degrees through the pipes, is heated to about 130 degrees through a heat exchange process and stored in hot water tanks for eventual use in the lodge. The heated water is also used in the lodge’s outdoor hot tubs.
Getting the geothermal system to operate has been quite a challenge. The concrete hot water storage tank that had been at the lodge prior to 2007—when the Averys purchased the property—had to be cleaned and refurbished. Copper coils and plumbing interfaces had to be installed. A drain line was put in to drain water from the tank to a nearby river. In order for the water in the tank to remain constantly refreshed and at a hot temperature, cooler water had to exit just as fast. Another modification involved getting city water to the concrete tank and then to the lodge. About 620 feet of pipe had to be installed in an existing culvert under a street between the spring location and a man-hole adjacent to the lodge property. Finally, a trench was dug and plumbing installed from the man-hole into the lodge. This involved interfacing with the lodge’s domestic hot water and room heating systems.
System Keeps Up with Demand
All of the investment in the geothermal system has been worthwhile, Karen Avery says. From mid-June to mid-October, when the lodge runs 98 percent occupied, the hot water system is easily able to keep up with demand. The Averys received a USDA renewable energy grant in 2009 to help pay for the geothermal system.
During the colder months of the year, the hot water running through the pipes of the lodge keeps guestrooms at 65 degrees. PTACs have been installed to supplement the hot water heating system. A sensor-based guestroom energy management system powers down PTACs when guests are not in their rooms.
To further reduce electricity consumption, compact fluorescents have been installed throughout the lodge. Karen Avery says she and her husband have looked at installing solar panels to generate electricity but they are still cost-prohibitive given the number of months they could be used. Snow would cover the panels during the long winter months, lengthening the time required for a reasonable return on investment. The Averys are currently investigating a new technology that would allow them to generate electricity using a turbine powered as a result of pressure changes created by the temperature difference between the 40 degree city water and 140 degree hot springs water.
This year the lodge owners are focusing on green cleaning. “We’re trying hard to make every product we are using more environmentally friendly,” Karen Avery says.
Other Green Initiatives at the 100 Percent Nonsmoking Lodge
• Low-flow fixtures to reduce water consumption;
• Bathroom amenities that use paper packaging instead of plastic;
• New attic insulation and energy-efficient doors;
• New extractors for the laundry that ultimately reduce towel and linen drying time by 30 percent;
• Over the past year new double-paned windows were installed throughout the lodge;
• Guestrooms were just re-carpeted with carpet rated as “Green Label Plus”;
• The lodge owners strive to utilize local supplierd when possible; and
• Earlier this year, in an Earth Day marketing promotion, the Averys offered a free night stay to guests arriving in a hybrid vehicle.
The lodge’s owners, former Denver residents, have discovered that an unlimited supply of free hot water is a definite plus when it comes to running a lodging establishment.
Go to the Box Canyon Lodge & Hot Springs.
Glenn Hasek can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
