04:16 PM MST on Sunday, May 30, 2004

By Scott Simonson / Arizona Daily Star

Call it the "CSI" approach to reducing energy bills.

Carl Rald, energy program coordinator for the city of Tucson, scans new homes with an infrared camera, which detects the invisible hot spots that drive up cooling bills.

The camera shows a telltale white glow on walls, ceilings or windows where summer heat sneaks in. Rald and the city use the camera to help builders test and improve the energy efficiency of new homes.

"We are talking not only energy efficiency," Rald said, "but health, comfort, durability and efficiency to operate."

Not to mention saving cash. The city has cut electric bills at some city buildings by as much as 60 percent in the past 10 years, said Vinnie Hunt, city energy manager. Citizens who want to cut costs as summer approaches can learn from some of these tactics.

Hunt estimated the city cut $800,000 off its $17.3 million electric bill last year through energy-saving ideas and gizmos. Tucson won a competition held by the Governor's Office this year to find the most energy-wise new public buildings in the state. And it is giving builders an infrared picture of how to build better homes for cost-conscious consumers.

The city has a policy of designing new buildings to meet the model energy code, the same energy-saving standards used at Civano. The code requires a 50 percent improvement in energy conservation over normal office buildings.

The recently opened Hardesty Midtown Multiservice Center, 1100 S. Alvernon Way, keeps bills low with technology that consumers won't easily find at local home-improvement stores.

At daybreak at the building's police substation, sun shines through skylights, and sensors detect the change and shut off lights. Motion detectors in the building adjust lights as people move in and out of rooms.

Computerized air-conditioning systems try to estimate how many people are in a room, and raise or lower air flow accordingly.

The building's energy-wise design is anticipated to save between $50,000 and $100,000 per year, Hunt said. The city also is promoting energy consciousness in a program that works with Tucson home-builders.

With aid from the city and Rald's infrared camera, U S Home improved on energy efficiency tests at new homes by as much as 40 percent in the recent years. For the average home buyer, Rald said, that adds up to about $500 in annual savings.

THERMOSTATS

New technology reduces the need to cool empty rooms. The city uses programmable thermostats to turn its air conditioners off when nobody's at work.

° Contact reporter Scott Simonson at 573-4104 or at simonson@azstarnet.com.