BigHorn Home Improvement Center

Completed in 2000, the 43,000 square foot BigHorn Home Improvement Center in the mountains of Colorado was designed to be 60% more efficient than an identical building built to the ASHRAE Standard 90.1-89. Day lighting via skylights accounted Big Horn Home Improvement Center for a 79% reduction in total lighting energy use. The building is further equipped with compact fluorescent lights and motion sensors.

A variety of technologies monitor and control occupant comfort. Windows on the roof and at lower levels are computer-controlled to allow warm air to escape and to allow cool air in, respectively. A transpired solar collector on the south side of the building heats ventilation air that is drawn into the building with fans. The building also features a radiant heat floor system and window overhangs that provide shade in the summer.

The building has no air conditioning units. The building also features an energy efficient envelope with double-layered Styrofoam walls and R-34 insulation in the roof. A 9kW integrated photovoltaic system can provide up to 25% of the building’s total electric demand, with excess electricity sold to the utility. While the energy efficient design resulted in a 10% increase in design and construction costs, the utility bill savings will pay back the extra first cost in five years.

For more detailed information, see the NREL report on BigHorn Home Improvement Center.

© 2002- Southwest Energy Efficiency Project
2260 Baseline Rd. Suite 212, Boulder, CO 80302
(303) 447-0078 fax: (303) 786-8054 info@swenergy.org

Last Updated: 01/14/2009