BRETTON WOODS, New Hampshire ??” Public Service of New Hampshire recently recognized Bretton Woods Mountain Resort’s continued commitment to energy savings and the environment by awarding the ski area a rebate of $78,229. PSNH, New Hampshire’s largest electric utility, serving more than 447,000 homes and businesses, provides incentives or rebates to customers investing in energy-efficient electric technologies.

In 2004, Bretton Woods installed an additional 60 new Snow Economics HKD snowmaking tower guns and five miles of new snowmaking pipe. This has once again enabled Bretton Woods to open more terrain earlier than other ski resorts. Whereas traditional snowmaking guns use a ratio of seven parts of compressed air to one-part water, the HKD guns use a ratio of one-to-one. Each of the tall, quiet HKD tower guns is capable of blanketing a half-acre of slope overnight with tremendous efficiency. For example: Based on a ratio of energy savings per acre-foot of snow production equaling $.07/KWh, the annual compressed air energy savings for 60 guns totals more than $75,000. The new guns are expected to save 350,000 kilowatts of electricity each year.

Further measures to address energy efficiency at Bretton Woods include creating a “greener” base lodge. With the completion of the first phase of the Bretton Woods Base Lodge expansion, great strides in improving the efficiency of the building are being achieved. Thirty-year old forced-hot-air furnaces have been replaced with new forced-hot-water systems, a rooftop make up air system, and a highly efficient array of component heaters that are controlled by a series of timers and thermostats for more efficiency.

More than half of the walls and roof systems have been replaced or renovated to improve the overall insulating properties of the building. Forty percent of the windows have been replaced with new “Low E” windows. Several have been added to the south side of the building to improve natural light and warmth. The R-factor in the new structure is expected to be improved by 75 percent, resulting in a savings of tens of thousands of dollars per season. 80 percent of the light fixtures in the building have been replaced or retrofitted to use more efficient fluorescent light bulbs. Public Service of NH has recognized the ski area’s move to more efficient lighting with a number of rebates totaling to sizeable savings for the resort. With the addition of new sewer pumps, wastewater is now being directed to a new, efficient wastewater treatment plant, instead of an outdated and inefficient series of holding tanks and leach fields. Throughout the base lodge project, many items were reused, including several heavy timbers, interior doors, light fixtures, plumbing fixtures, and kitchen equipment. Other improvement to the efficiency of the building include the replacement of bathroom facilities with water-conserving fixtures, the addition of more insulation and creating airlock vestibules at all entrances.

For more information about Bretton Woods and its commitment to the environment, please call 603-278-3320 or visit brettonwoods.com.