Sustainability & Energy Conservation

Sustainability

Teton County's leaders have long held a commitment to stewardship of our land, environment and community. We strive to become as environmentally sustainable as possible. Teton County is committed to reducing the environmental footprint of our internal operations as well as providing efficient services to county employees, residents and businesses

100% Renewable Electricity From Hydroelectric

Beginning in October of 2013 Teton County began purchasing 100% renewable electricity from Lower Valley's Swift Creek low impact hydroelectric project in Afton, Wyoming.

Zero Waste

In September of 2014 the Teton County Commissioners adopted a Zero Waste Resolution with a goal of diverting 60% of Jackson's waste from the landfill by 2030. For more information, please see the Road to Zero Waste webpage.

On-Site Renewable Power Generation

Part of our strategy to reduce our environmental footprint includes on-site renewable power generation. Currently, Teton County has 3 grid tied photovoltaic systems which will supply an estimated 128,860 kilowatt (kW) per year, and 1 solar thermal system.

Photovoltaic Systems

Solar panels at the Recycling Center

Recycling Center

  • 46 kW System, 177 Panels
  • Estimated annual production 61,831 kW per year
  • View live production of the Recycling Center system
Solar panels at the Emergency Operations Center

Emergency Operations Center

  • 27.6 kW System, (106) 260 watt panels
  • Estimated annual production 37,029 kW per year
  • View live production of the Emergency Operations Center system
Solar panels at the Library

Library

Solar Thermal System Location & Specifications

Solar panels at the Recreation Center

Recreation Center

  • 52 Solar Collector Panels
  • Estimated average daily production 3.6 million British thermal units (BTUs) per day
  • Estimated to reduce natural gas consumption to heat pools by 43%

Energy Conservation Works (ECW)

Inspired by a challenge to the community from Jim Wolfensohn, former World Bank Chairman, to become a leader in environmental innovation and sustainability, Teton County entered into a unique partnership with the Town of Jackson and Lower Valley Energy, our local utility. Based on a Memorandum of Understanding between the three entities, with the goal of achieving significant reductions in energy use over the next 20 years, ECW offers residential, commercial and public agency loan programs for energy efficiency projects.

For more information, please visit the ECW Jackson Hole website.

Energy Mitigation Fund

The Energy Mitigation Program is a supplement to Chapter 11 - Energy Efficiency and Chapter 4 - Residential Energy Conservation Code. The EMP is a tool to steer Teton County residents to offset disproportionate energy consumption of large buildings in our community with a conservation or renewable energy installation on site or pay a fee in-lieu. Should fees be collected, Teton County would then use this EMP fund to further implement energy conservation projects or provide renewable technologies for County and other government infrastructure, provide funds for energy sustainability education programs, and provide funding to the Energy Conservation Works Joint Power Board for implementation of energy improvement programs.

The goal of the program is to reinvest the fee in-lieu funds collected into public sector capital infrastructure and provide financial support to organizations that are recognized by Teton County to promote and invest in local energy mitigation and local renewable power generation that will reduce and/or offset additional electrical and fossil fuel energy use.

Measurement & Verification

Teton County uses Planet Footprint to track our energy use, fleets fuel consumption, green house gas emissions and savings from our conservation efforts. Below are dashboards illustrating average daily and quarterly energy consumption of internal operations.

Quarterly Energy Reports

The Energy Team produces quarterly reports on Teton County's Energy Use.