Local Climate Goals Face Complex Energy Resource Challenges

By Kay Modi, Energy Analyst in Residence, and Lindsey Ehinger, Program Consultant

Jackson Hole has long positioned itself as a leader in stewardship and sustainability. In 2006, the Town of Jackson and Teton County adopted the 10 by 10 Energy Efficiency Initiative—committing to a 10% reduction in electricity and fossil fuel use in local government operations by the year 2010. The County also created an Energy Mitigation Program fund to offset disproportionate energy consumption of larger new buildings by reducing energy usage in public buildings. Current climate goals set in the Town of Jackson’s Sustainability Plan include a 30% reduction in emissions in the built environment and net-zero carbon emissions by 2030, while Teton County’s Sustainability Plan calls for reduced energy use and a 30% increase in renewable energy capacity.

However, electricity and energy demands in Teton County continue to grow as regional population, building development, and tourism activity increase. If Jackson Hole wants to maintain its leadership position and meet its climate objectives, residents should recognize the implications of rising energy demand, limited growth in low-carbon electricity supply, and increasing natural gas use. Beginning this month, our local residential utility bills will include a monthly “demand charge” based on each household’s highest consecutive 15-minute electricity use. The availability of low-carbon electricity is struggling to keep pace with demand. Given these intersecting factors, it’s important for community members to understand our current regional energy situation.

Lower Valley Energy (LVE) obtains most of its electricity through long-term contracts with the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), whose power supply is primarily generated by hydroelectric facilities in the Columbia and Snake River systems. The amount of hydropower available is largely fixed and is likely to decline over time due to changing water management strategies and environmental factors.

Since local electricity demand has grown beyond the amount supplied through BPA hydropower, additional electricity must be purchased from the broader Northwest power grid. That grid includes a mix of energy sources, including natural gas and coal. The Northwest grid itself is facing significant load growth challenges that may affect reliability. Increased demand further strains limited grid infrastructure, including transmission lines and local substations. The combination of increased demand, secondary market prices, and infrastructure upgrades is driving up regional consumer energy costs across the region.

Recent expansion of the County’s natural gas pipeline infrastructure has led to a rise in natural gas consumption. Although natural gas produces less pollution and fewer emissions than coal, it causes significantly higher emissions than our current electricity mix—presenting additional challenges to achieving community climate goals.

Our local utility provider offers customers the opportunity to purchase “Green Power.” LVE’s popular renewable energy certificate (REC) program includes an annual allotment from BPA generation sources as well as the local Horse Butte Wind project and the Swift and Strawberry Creek hydropower sources. However, regional renewable projects face considerable hurdles: current solar energy production meets less than 1% of the County’s electrical demand and historically takes a long time to bring online. While it is not possible to determine the source of any individual unit of electricity delivered to Teton County, the entire network is impacted by more carbon-intensive energy sources supplying the regional grid.

In our region, peak system demand occurs in the cold winter months. Wintertime power demand exceeds summer demand due to the leading power needs: space heating (about 50%) and hot water heating (about 10-20%). While technological developments, such as heat pumps and geothermal systems, can increase building efficiency and lower absolute demand, leading-edge energy codes are imperative in these times of growth for the County.

The 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) adopted by the Town of Jackson and Teton County is a minimum baseline national standard rather than a leading-edge energy code. Many locations with climate goals similar to Jackson Hole’s—including Massachusetts, Aspen, and Toronto—have adopted stretch codes or enhanced energy-performance requirements that exceed baseline standards. The Town of Jackson is currently participating in a regional initiative to develop a voluntary, incentive-based stretch code guided by community input.

Given these trends, reducing future emissions will require stronger community-wide emphasis on impactful energy efficiency measures and standards. Adopting stronger building energy requirements, particularly for large construction projects and public or workforce housing projects, represents a practical and immediate opportunity to reduce future energy consumption and emissions while aligning local policies with community climate goals. Community members can reference the new “digital twin” modeling tool, created by Power Theory and Energy Conservation Works, to better understand the impacts of their energy choices at the building level. Residents can also take action by reducing their energy usage, joining the stretch code working group, supporting our local utility’s renewable energy goals, or providing public comment to elected officials regarding enhanced building codes.