Energy Efficiency In Las Vegas’s Residential Buildings: Lowering Energy Costs – Las Vegas: Bright Lights, Sustainable City Las Vegas Alumnus Marko Velotta’s 30 years of work toward sustainability management with guidance.

Towering solar panels stand up against a formidable foe in front of Las Vegas City Hall. Built in the middle of the Mojave Desert, the effects of a warm climate and severe drought are more evident, and the solar panels represent a quick and thoughtful change to the future-proofing of downtown Las Vegas 15 years ago. The effort has paid off In 2016, Las Vegas was certified as a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold City by the US Green Building Council for implementing extensive sustainable building and operational practices. The city reduced annual water use by 40 billion gallons over the past 15 years, even as the population grew rapidly, and in 2020 the city launched a new 30-year master plan with a clear focus on sustainable management of Las Vegas’ future. Las Vegas city planner and Geography Department alumnus Marco Velotta (BS Geography ’06, MA Land Use Planning ’08) is at the forefront of the city’s sustainability movement. , its resilience through the Great Recession and its subsequent, unexpected transformation into a model city of resilience. He’s well aware that the road ahead isn’t a straight line, which is a good thing because it’s Velotta’s job to build the map.

Energy Efficiency In Las Vegas’s Residential Buildings: Lowering Energy Costs

Alumnus Marco Velotta walks under the solar panels in front of Las Vegas City Hall where he works as a city planner. (Jennifer Kent)

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Where can you find a crystal ball to confidently predict what the future will look like? Velota asked. “We have been taking action on sustainability for more than 15 years. We were able to invest heavily in renewable energy projects and energy efficiency Now, we stand to add 300,000 more people to the city of Las Vegas alone and another million to the greater metro area by 2050. We can continue to build single-family homes, which are water efficient, or we can develop transit-oriented development and mixed-use development that is not water-intensive and still captures that population growth There is a way forward; Just deciding which one is best. “

“The crazy thing is if we get to a point where there’s no water flowing through Hoover Dam, Phoenix, Tucson, Los Angeles, all of them will lose Lake Mead as a resource.”

Water is number one on the city’s list of conservation concerns Lake Mead – which holds water for southern Nevada, as well as Arizona, California, Mexico and many Native American tribes – is at its lowest level and continues to decline. In August, for the first time, the federal government ordered a reduction in the amount of water from reservoirs built by Arizona, Mexico and Nevada. Primarily the Colorado River cutting through the middle of the desert For the worst plan, the Southern Nevada Water Authority broke ground in 2015 on a new $1.5 billion low-level water pump serving Southern Nevada. The pumps broke the surface and became inoperable As of today, September 28, the lake’s water level was 1,045 feet above sea level. The second original pump, still submerged and operational, sits just 172 feet below

“The crazy thing is if we get to a point where there’s no water flowing through Hoover Dam, Phoenix, Tucson, Los Angeles,” Velotta said. “Eighty percent of the water from Lake Mead is used for agriculture in the Imperial Valley and Arizona We may have seasons where we don’t have some of the products we previously produced We have to ask, should we be growing things in the Sonoran Desert? Should we question it? “

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Image Caption: A photo of Lake Mead taken on June 14, 2022 shows water levels dropping from 2000 to 2021 and June 2022, as droughts in the West continue to reduce costs. Source (Jennifer Kent)

Las Vegas is asking and answering the same tough questions about its own water use The city recycles 99% of its wastewater, which is considered potable water use However, utility sources of water use such as landscape irrigation, water-based cooling systems, and evaporation from pools account for 60% of all water demand, the majority of which comes from single-family residential properties.

“When we interacted with residents, it was consistent that water was a concern,” Velota said. “We are considering rezoning areas for higher density housing that is more water efficient There is also a nexus with affordable housing We also don’t have a lot of multi-family and single-family homes in Reno – we don’t have a lot of duplexes, triplexes. We are truly limited when two-thirds of all housing stock is single-family, condominiums, or apartments. “

There is a sweet spot for water-efficient housing – what the master plan calls the “missing middle” – three- to four-story multi-family homes in urban areas, in walkable areas with nearby public transit. But it is single-family homes that use the most water in the city, and many conservation efforts have been directed to this area The strategy includes increased restrictions on landscaping and water features, and incentives for relocation to xeriscape yards. In 2021, the city mandated the removal of non-functional grass in public spaces Common to office parks, street medians, and housing developments, these ornamental lawns are a drain on city water supplies. Days before the pile of rolled turf made national news, the city was in the news again when human remains found in a barrel — a suspected mob killing — were revealed at the bottom of Lake Mead.

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A lot of attention is now on us because of the drought. “We have a nationwide focus,” Velota said. As the population continues to grow, the city is taking measures to curb water use that will determine the future of Las Vegas.

On a map of Las Vegas, the southeast neighborhood of the city is shaded green to represent grass/sod and tree coverage. Las Vegas is working toward 20% tree canopy coverage by 2035, with 85% of the population living within 1/3 mile of green space that provides cooler temperatures, such as a park or tree canopy, by 2050. (Vegas Master Plan)

Water is not the only challenge. As a city built in the middle of a desert, a concerted effort must be made to combat the urban heat island effect. Asphalt, concrete, and other components of urban infrastructure absorb more heat from sunlight than natural surfaces and can significantly increase the surrounding air temperature. Las Vegas has one of the most intense urban heat islands of any city in the country, with temperatures 20 to 25 degrees hotter than the surrounding desert. One of the best strategies to counter this effect is planting trees The master plan states a goal of planting 60,000 native, drought-tolerant trees in the city, and 85% of the population lives within 1/3 mile of green space that provides cool temperatures, such as parks or tree canopies. 2050. Other tactics include painting the roof white (another conservation feature of City Hall) and reducing the use of asphalt and concrete.

Strategy is bold for a reason They work Over the past decade, the city has reduced annual municipal water demand by 2.25 billion gallons and cut per capita water use in half since 2000. The city has already met its previous target of planting 40,000 trees by 2020. But gaining public support for bold strategies can be a challenge While water and rising temperatures are major concerns for Vegas residents, affordable housing, crime, public parks and open spaces are available. By inviting community input early in the planning process, Velotta and his colleagues at City Hall have been able to respond to community needs while weaving sustainability into everything they do. Velota is leading the East Las Vegas project, Nuestro Futuro Este Las Vegas (Our Future East Las Vegas), which will transform a city-owned water-consuming golf course into a mixed-use area that will meet the master plan’s sustainability goals during development. A vibrant new neighborhood

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“This is where all these things come together,” Velota said. “We can redevelop this Pete Color-designed course with two thousand mixed-income and affordable single-family and multi-family housing units, a park, water-efficient landscaping and drought-tolerant trees, a community center.

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