Riverdale Animal Shelter

As the fastest-growing county in Colorado, Adams County Government hired CMTA to help address its rapid development through a sustainable, forward-thinking approach. Central to this effort is the County's ambitious Sustainability Plan, which aims to power all county facilities with 100% renewable energy by 2030. In addition, the state of Colorado enacted building energy performance standards for facilities over 50,000 square feet, emphasizing the necessity for clean energy adoption at the county level.

To achieve these objectives and comply with statewide energy targets, CMTA was selected to conduct an Investment Grade Audit across 23 county-owned facilities, totaling 1.5 million square feet. As part of this Energy Savings Contract, CMTA also designed solar arrays for several county facilities. One notable project under this initiative is the Riverdale Animal Shelter, a modern, community-facing facility featuring a health clinic, private adoption rooms, multi-purpose event spaces, and expanded kennel spaces. With its large, standing seam roof and significant community impact, the shelter was an ideal candidate for solar energy implementation.

CMTA installed 356 solar panels on the roof, totaling 211.82 kW DC. The project also included metering systems to monitor real-time energy consumption and measure the solar array’s contribution to offsetting the building electricity load. The installation is expected to reduce the building’s electricity usage by over 20%, resulting in guaranteed savings of at least 228,780 kWh annually—equating to approximately $16,000 in utility cost reductions each year. These savings can be reinvested in future sustainability projects, advancing Adams County's renewable energy vision cost-effectively.