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Many Americans have begun to consider alternative forms of energy to our traditional coal and oil-based power grid. Whether you subscribe to the theory of Peak Oil, are concerned about issues related to global warming, or worry that international politics could interrupt the supply lines that bring us 60 percent of our national fuel supply, you can take a position on the front lines in the war for energy independence.

It is hard to drive across the western U.S. without seeing the familiar tri-arm wind turbines dotting our open spaces like giant mechanical flamingos. Individual turbines can provide electricity for remote homes and businesses. Rows of turbines – known as wind farms – can make a substantial contribution to a municipal power grid.

In Colorado, Xcel Energy, power provider to some 70 percent of our state’s residents, has added wind power to its arsenal of electricity-producing technologies for about 12 years. Dozens of turbines on wind farms along Colorado’s eastern plains now contribute over 1000 megawatts of power to Xcel’s transmission capabilities.

Xcel offers its customers the opportunity to support its wind power program – Windsource – by purchasing their electricity at a small premium each month. The extra money helps fund the company’s alternative energy research and development.

“Obviously, we can’t run special lines to Windsource customers’ homes,” said Steve Mudd, Xcel’s project manager for Windsource. “All our power goes into the same system. But we’ve been amazed at the demand from residences and businessses. Especially businesses. People clearly are supporting our alternative energy efforts.”

Presently, there are some 46,000 Xcel customers enrolled in the Windsource program in Colorado, with the average subscriber paying an additional $10-$20 per month on their electric bill (about $3 per 100-kilowatt-hour block). Xcel can generate some 130 million kilowatt hours of electricity through wind power each year. “There have been years we’ve produced more (wind power) than we’ve sold,” said Mudd. “And some years we’ve sold more than we’ve actually produced that year. We use a balancing rule to even that out. Through the end of 2007, total generation has basically matched total sales.”

Leslie Glustrom is a founding member of Clean Energy Action, a group of citizens working to bring clean energy solutions to Colorado. Glustrom believes Xcel is definitely headed in the right direction with Windsource, though there is more to be done. “It’s not ideal,” she stated. “But it does send an important message. It’s very important that people can take part. It doesn’t cost much – you get most of what you spend back, in your Fuel Cost Rider adjustment. Participating in Windsource continues to send the message to Xcel that there are people who want to move faster toward alternatives. They want a lower carbon footprint. They’re concerned about the planet and the melting ice caps. With a little hesitation I recommend it. I actually recommend it strongly.”

Among those benefiting from Xcel’s wind power efforts were this year’s Demo-cratic and Republican national conventions. Xcel is the primary power provider in both the Minneapolis and Denver areas, so the job of powering up the conventions fell in their camp. The bulk of the power for the conventions was generated primarily from Xcel Energy’s Ponnequin Wind Facility south of Cheyenne, near the Colorado-Wyoming border, and from a wind farm on southwestern Minnesota’s Buffalo Ridge. Small solar power installations supplemented wind as needed. 

Mudd said the Colorado Windsource program is reaching its current capacity, but still accepts most who wish to subscribe. “Right now we are letting people still enroll, except for large business customers,” he stated. “If they want more than 10,000-killowatt hours per month, we’re putting them on a waiting list.” Xcel is hoping to be able to expand its production of wind power in the near future.

 A small, but hopefully soon to be growing part of Xcel’s energy menu is solar power. Amendment 37, which Colorado voters passed in 2004, requires Xcel to provide 20 percent of its energy transmission through alternative technologies by 2020. “Part of that has to come from solar power,” Mudd explained. “We have an 8 megawatt facility in Alamosa that came on line last year.” Compare this with the nearly 1,100 megawatts of wind power produced in Colorado.

Most of Xcel’s support for solar has come from rebates given to homeowners and businesses that install solar power systems, thereby lessening the demand on Xcel. To date, approximately $40 million has been paid out.

Clean Energy Action’s Glustrom also supports any sort of initiative that moves people toward solar. “They (Xcel rebates and government tax credits) pay about half the cost of a photovoltaic system. It’s a great time to start to liberate yourself from Xcel if you can possibly manage it,” she stated. “In Boulder County, we hope to pass an initiative to allow people to finance the up-front costs with county bonds. That’s something Denver needs to start thinking about.”

 Whatever form of energy you purchase, it is more important than ever to be sure you are getting the biggest bang for your buck by ensuring that your home is properly weatherized to prevent heat loss when the weather is cold, and heat gain in the warmer months.

Dennis Brachfeld is an Energy Consul-tant with All About Saving Heat Company, specialists in energy efficiency. Brachfeld got interested in energy-related issues when he bought an 1896 Denver home back in 1972, and felt the financial effects of trying to heat his home as a result of the Arab nations’ oil embargo against the U.S. the following year. Since entering the energy conservation field in 1977, All About Saving Heat has provided assistance to some 34,000 Denver area homes.

“When energy was cheap, people wouldn’t pay more for homes that were energy efficient. There was no incentive,” said Brachfeld. “When energy is expensive, energy efficiency becomes more of a priority. It makes good sense.”

Brachfeld urges homeowners to attack the biggest needs first: generally, under-insulated attics, walls and crawl spaces. “Windows are important,” he stated. “Some people do need new windows, and sometimes storms do the job even better, but windows generally only make up 20 percent of the wall area. It’s probably smarter to start elsewhere.”

For years, the recommended level of insulation in homes in Colorado was R-19 in the attics, and R-11 in the walls. Over the past 10 years or so, that has been increased to R-38 for attics and R-18 for wall spaces. “Every time you double your R-value, you reduce heat loss by 50 percent,” Brachfeld explained. An uninsulated attic has an R-factor of about R-4.

In addition to insulating walls – current technology can blow cellulose (recycled newspapers) or foam into virtually any wall cavity of 3/4” or more – Brachfeld urges homeowners with dirt crawl spaces to consider insulating under their home as well as above it.

If you have a furnace in an unheated crawl space, a substantial amount of heat is lost through evaporation of moisture seeping up through the dirt. Laying a plastic vapor barrier over the crawl space floor reduces that heat loss, and reflective insulation around the foundation reduces heat lost to warming the cement walls. More of the heat produced by your furnace either stays in the crawl space warming your home from below, or is directed through your vents into the house as planned.

Whatever your motivation and whatever your budget, you can begin to make a change in how you power your life. For information on Xcel programs, visit www.xcelenergy.com. For more on home energy efficiency, contact All About Saving Heat at www.aboutsavingheat.com or 303-777-1515.