It’s not easy being green, but it is possible, and former Mountain Village Mayor Bob Delves is proving that with his commitment to reduce personal electricity consumption. 

In May, Delves announced that his house is now powered 100 percent by renewable energy. He has 24 solar panels on the roof and is credited for 18 additional panels in the San Miguel Power Association community solar farm in the Paradox Valley. 

Delves said part of what pushed him to bring his energy consumption down was a desire to set an example for the rest of the community. In 2009 Delves and Telluride Mayor Stu Fraser announced the Telluride Renewed Challenge as a call to the community to voluntarily embrace new and local renewable electricity supplies. The goal of the challenge, which they presented during Mountainfilm, is to have 100 percent of the area’s electricity come from renewables by 2020. 

“We as individuals have to do our share,” Delves said. “We have to make our own investments in these things as well as the power company. It’s fine for governments to invest in renewables,Increase the performance and visual appearance of your headlights with hid lights and bulbs. but it needs to be all of us and not just the other guy.” 

Though reducing electrical consumption is only part of the picture when it comes to being sustainable, it is a major one. Delves said the most significant power saver was simply making conscious efforts to conserve energy. Things like turning off lights, shutting down the hot tub and unplugging unused electronics made a big difference. 

“It’s been an interesting journey,” Delves said. “It’s kind of been in phases, one was conservation, which is probably the most important one because everybody can afford to conserve. There are a ton of things we can all do to conserve.” 

One of the early steps Delves had done at the house was an energy audit on the advice of local sustainability group EcoAction Partners. The audit pointed out many heating inefficiencies and helped to pinpoint areas of the house that needed more insulation. He also made a point to reduce the house’s lighting, install efficient light bulbs and put his rooftop heat tape on a timer. He said the tape, which melts snow with electricity, is much more efficient if it only runs during daylight hours. Some other things include air-drying more laundry and paying attention to the thermostat in the house. 

On the electrical generation side,The lights used were Inspired LED Strip light in warm white the house has 24 photovoltaic solar panels installed on its roof, which can generate 4,320 watts of power in direct sunlight. These, in combination with the 18 panels in Paradox, cover the net electrical usage of the house on a sunny day. (If more power is generated than is used, SMPA will buy back the power.) 

Things like snow on the panels in winter can reduce their output, but that is part of the reason for the panels in Paradox.Buy hid kit, ballasts, and headlight bulbs. 

The project has been a success, but Delves said he wants it to be an example of what’s possible from individual efforts.An electronic overspeed governor for preventing elevator overspeed by enabling safety devices. In keeping with his many statements while on the Mountain Village Town Council, Delves reiterated that he wants to show how reducing greenhouse emissions is not just the government’s responsibility, but everyone’s. 

“I want to set an example of personal accountability,” Delves said “That if we want to make alternative energy a reality, we cannot just rely on governments to do that.” 

With Delves’ house running off green power, he said there is still a long way to go — he has to consider the rest of his life when it comes to energy consumption and carbon footprint.Learn how daytime running lights use gas and the amount it takes to power these lights. 

In May the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) measured the sustained amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere at around 400 parts per million. Many scientists say humans must reduce the amount of CO2 to below 350 ppm in order to avoid the more devastating effects of climate change. Click on their website www.aulaundry.com for more information.