Old powerhouse building in Aspen needs to cool it

Walking by the old powerhouse building that Liz (Chapman, environmental health specialist, city of Aspen) works in, I’ve noticed that second-story windows are open 24/7, all winter long. Talking to Liz today about what of waste of energy that is, she said it’s because if they are not open then it’s 80 degrees in the second floor. That’s a problem. Eighty-degree air is an asset in the winter and shouldn’t be dumped outside; after all, there is a climate emergency going on.

She mentioned numerous HVAC experts have been consulted and there doesn’t seem to be an answer. You need to move that hot air down to the cold first floor. You could cut a 1- or 2-foot diameter hole between the floors at the east end of the big room upstairs and install a vertical tube from near the ceiling of the second floor, have it go down to the floor on the ground floor and then install a fan in it. Then you could keep the second-floor windows closed all winter long. Mrs. Polar Bear would offer thanks if she could talk.

Tom Mooney

Aspen