It’s a New Year, have you made resolutions to make your home more energy efficient, comfortable and/or affordable? If you’re like most, it’s hard to do projects around the holidays. Yet most of our homes feel colder than usual this time of year and we’re spending more on our energy bills to keep them warm. If you’re considering improvements to your home, the City has a list of resources to help you get started

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Visit: www.Denvergov.org/HomeEnergy for more info.

Did you know…

• Leaving your cell phone charger plugged into the wall still draws power even if your phone is detached? The Xcel Energy Store offers instant rebates on smart power strips that turn off for you.
• Your refrigerator uses more energy than anything else in your home? If it’s not EnergyStar rated it’s costing you even more to run. Check your fridge efficiency here.
• Insulation and air sealing is the most cost-effective improvement you can make? Get your insulation levels checked by a licensed Denver contractor, then grab a rebate from Xcel Energy if you need to add a little more to your home.
• Pulling together a few neighbors who need the same upgrade as you, such as a new water heater, gives you power in numbers to negotiate a group discount. Here is a helpful tool we put together for neighborhoods.

Denver Animal Protection (DAP) recently received a tremendous gift that will have an immediate impact on injured animals: an X-ray machine. Prior to having this life-saving medical tool located on site, injured animals in need of immediate care had to first be transferred to a veterinary hospital to undergo X-rays before returning to the shelter for care. Providing this critical service in-house will ensure DAP veterinary staff can understand each animal's medical needs and address them immediately — reducing pain, suffering and healing time.

One of the first animals to benefit from this new technology was Furomeo, a kind elderly Chihuahua. Furomeo arrived at Denver Animal Shelter on a Sunday afternoon and was struggling to breath. Dr. Charise Ongie, DAP's veterinary fellow, immediately completed an X-ray of Furomeo's chest. Seeing the small dog had both an enlarged heart and fluid in his lungs, she was able to quickly diagnose Furomeo with congestive heart failure and start him on treatment.

"I'm happy to say that Furomeo is responding very well," said Dr. Louisa Poon, Denver Animal Shelter's chief veterinarian. "This little Chihuahua deserved a second chance in life, and the X-ray machine made that possible."

Last year, DAP cared for nearly 7,000 animals. Some of these animals have experienced trauma, neglect or abuse resulting in injuries — some visible to the naked eye and some internal. These animals will benefit greatly from having X-rays taken at Denver Animal Shelter so veterinary staff can immediately begin treatment.

"We are grateful to the many donors who stepped forward to fund the X-ray machine project," said Alice Nightengale, director of Denver Animal Shelter. "This critical medical equipment is fundamental to providing the best care for Denver's most vulnerable compnaion animals."

Though still quite new to the shelter, the X-ray machine is already being used an average of five to six times each day. Denver Animal Protection staff aniticpate that countlesss animals will eventually benefit from this technology.

To help Denver Animal Shelter continue to provide and expand critical medical care, please visit www.denveranimalshelter.org/donate. 

When it comes to energy efficiency, Denver buildings span the full spectrum of sustainability (or lack thereof). To help building owners tenants and other users learn more about the energy efficiency of the buildings where they live and work, the Department of Public Health and Environment (DDPHE) recently launched an interactive map showing how buildings across the city stack up.

The new Building Energy Performance Map displays the ENERGY STAR scores for hundreds of Denver buildings. This score reflects each structure's energy effiency on a 1-100 scale, with higher scores being more energy efficient and sustainable than lower scores. Similiar to the miles per gallon rating for vehicles, ENERGY STAR scores allow building occupants, owners and tenants to compare performance across buildings to make better-informed business decisions — and learn whether their buildings operate like hybrid vehicles or gas-guzzlers.

The interactive map draws from building performance data collected under the Energize Denver ordinance, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions produced by commercial and multi-family buildings. In its first year of implementation, Energize Denver had an outstanding 90 percent compliance rate. 

Buildings 50,000 square feet or larger were reported on for 2017. In 2018, buildings 25,000 square feet or larger will be added, with a compliance deadline of June 1. Trainings, help sessions and ongoing support will be available to assist the approximately 3,000 buildings within this size range in meeting compliance in 2018.

Energy use from heating and cooling buildings is the single largest source of GHG emissions in Denver, acounting for approximately 57 percent of the city's carbon emissions. Improving buiding energy efficiency will not only reduce GHG but will also help protect Denver's quality of life via improved air quality.

Energy savings can also help strengthen the economy when reinvested locally. Investing an estimated $340 million in improving buildng energy efficiency in Denver could result in the creation of 4,000 local jobs and $1.3 billion in energy savings over 10 years.

"Measuring public energy performance scores is a major milestone twoards achieving the City's goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent below 2005 levels by 2050," said Katrina Managan, senior advisor, Energy Efficiency, DDPHE. "Benchmarking the energy performance of a building is the first step toward understanding and reducing its energy consumption, which is directly tied to harmful emissions."

Here's a bit of trivia: What has thousands of tails, even more hooves and has been a Denver staple every January since 1906? It's the annual National Western Stock Show!

Denverites of all ages flock to this time-honored event to watch the rodeo, visit the petting zoo and indulge in giant turkey legs. In 2009, however, at least 16 National Western visitors picked up an unexpected — and potentially very dangerous —
souvenir: E. coli.

Escherichia coli (E. coli) encompasses an array of different bacteria. While most strains of E. coli don't pose serious health risks, other can cause diarrhea, urinary tract infections, pneumonia and other illnesses. E. coli lives in the guts of animals like goats and sheep, but the major source for human illnesses comes from cows. Essentially, interacting with these animals and their environments also increases your odds of interacting with their waste. Going from the petting zoo to the snack bar (and forgetting to wash your hands in between) can increase your risk of developing E. coli-related illnesses.

Not to fear! Thousands of people safely attend the National Western Stock Show every year, even those who indulge in a few petting zoo selfies. To kepe yourself and your family safe from E.coli, always wash your hands with soap and dry with paper towels after contact with animals or their envrionemnts. This goes for farms, petting zoos, fairs and even your own backyard. After interacting with livestock in particular, using hand sanitizer in addition to washing your hands as directed is also recommended. 

DDPHE's Public Health Inspections (PHI) division has already advised National Western organizers and volunteers to encourage visitors to use the provided hand sanitizer after touching any animals, and signs will be posted to encourage proper hand washing as well. As illnesses can also spread due to poor food safety practices, PHI inspectors will also be conducing inspections of food vendors throughout the event.