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#1 Resort for Families - SKI Magazine Reader Survey 2024

Three seasons of three mountains at Smuggs.

Energy Efficiency Programs
at Smugglers' Notch, Vermont

Let The Sun Shine!
Smugglers' installs energy-generating solar farm.
Smugglers' recently completed its second solar project, a solar farm consisting of 35 solar trackers. The solar farm is about a mile from the Resort on Edwards Road, just past the entrance to the ArborTrek Zip Line Canopy Tour. The Resort's first entry into solar power generation occurred in 2007, when a small solar project for hot water heating was installed on the roof of one of the North Hill's Tamaracks buildings.

Smugglers' recently completed its second solar project, a solar farm consisting of 35 solar trackers. The solar farm is about a mile from the Resort on Edwards Road, just past the entrance to the ArborTrek Zip Line Canopy Tour. The Resort's first entry into solar power generation occurred in 2007, when a small solar project for hot water heating was installed on the roof of one of the North Hill's Tamaracks buildings.

The new array encompasses about 2.5 acres of a 10-acre field. The site was selected for its exposure to the sun and proximity to existing transmission lines. Given the size and placement of the field, the site also offered the flexibility of locating the panels away from nearby private homes. Fast-growing cedars and spruce trees will be planted on the side of the array visible to homeowners on the adjacent 101 Road towards the northern end of the field.

Each of the solar trackers measures 22 x 14 feet, includes 20 solar panels, and is controlled by trackers with GPS and wireless technology. This technology, which was manufactured in Vermont, adjusts the panels' orientation and angle to the sun, maximizing their efficiency. In addition, and important, for a Resort that loves big snow falls, these trackers are also designed to shed snow in the winter.

The power generated by the array is fed back into the existing transmission grid. The capacity of the array is 150 kilowatts, which on an annual basis is project to offset the energy use equivalent of 30 residential homes. Translated to operations at Smugglers' the power generated will offset most of the energy use of the Village Lodge.

The project is a partnership between Smugglers' and AllEarth Renewables of Williston, Vermont, which designs and manufactures the solar trackers for commercial and home use.

"We're always looking for ways to increase our sustainability in energy and other areas, so when we were approached by AllEarth Renewables the project seemed worthy of exploration. It's a good second step to follow our first smaller solar project, the eight panel solar hot water generator on Tamaracks, which is saving about 10-0-0 gallons of propane a year," comments Mark Delaney, Smugglers' vice president of corporate development.

The project works well with the Resort's mission to reduce and mitigate effects that Resort operations have on the environment. In addition to energy efficiency projects such as the solar projects, other environmental stewardship measures include reducing waste through recycling, reusing and composting; water conservation through use of low flow bathroom fixtures and kitchen appliances in Resort condominiums; black bear habitat protection; environmental awareness promotion during selected guest programs; and stormwater and erosion control to maintain water quality.

Written by Karen Boushie, the Resort's public relations director, Explore Smuggs Magazine, Summer 2012.

Residential Construction
Since 1996, new residential construction in our Resort Village has been built with the highest standards of energy efficiency, and has achieved Five Star status, Vermont's highest energy rating.

The high energy ratings of these one, two and three bedroom condominium buildings ranks Smugglers' as the first Five Star Builder in the State of Vermont and has won us "Best of the Best" awards for multi-family homes in 1999 (Aspens) and 2002 (Falcons).

In order to achieve this Five Star standard, all new construction features energy efficient florescent lighting, LED exit lights, high efficiency, propane fueled HVAC plants, high insulation values, energy efficient appliances and water conservation fixtures. The buildings also feature environmentally friendly materials and fixtures such as gas fireplaces, recycled rubber carpet pad and low VOC paint (volatile organic compounds).

State of the Art Facilities
TREASURES Child Care Center was built in 2002. Working closely with Efficiency Vermont, the electrical contractor Alpha Electric, and the HVAC contractor Carlson Mechanical, Smugglers' was able to construct this facility to meet or exceed the latest State of Vermont energy efficiency guidelines (2001 Vermont Guidelines for Energy Efficient Commercial Construction). Features such as careful siting to make best use of solar radiation and natural lighting, radiant slab heat, high efficiency boiler (with a fuel efficiency rating of 85%; guidelines call for 80%), use of a high efficiency cooling system and extensive use of fluorescent lighting combine to make this a state-of-the-art, energy efficient facility.

Reduced rates = reduced energy use! New efficiency measures installed at Smuggs during 2002 saved $14,000 annually in reduced rates. Smuggs also received $28,755 in rebates from Efficiency Vermont in 2002 alone. In 2003, Smuggs received incentives from Efficiency Vermont totaling $10,000. In 2004 Smuggs received over $19,000 in rebates and over $20,000 in 2005.

Upgrading Facilities
In 2001, as part of our ongoing efforts to reduce energy use, Smugglers' invested in energy conservation measures throughout existing resort facilities. Working with Efficiency Vermont, Smugglers' was able to reduce our electrical demands by 318,693 kWh annually.

Heated Pools
High efficiency gas-fired boilers heat all of our pools. These heaters are about twice the cost of standard models, but the investment is recaptured in energy savings over a period of only 3 years. In addition, insulated pool covers are utilized when the pools are not in use to reduce heat loss, providing energy savings of 60 percent. Besides reducing heat loss, the covers also reduce the amount of water and chemicals lost through evaporation.

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