The county pursued traditional energy retrofits at the Santa Rita Jail, the county's largest energy user and, in the spring of 2002, completed the fourth largest solar electric system in the world on the roof of the jail. While these energy savings initiatives were significant, the county leadership looked for additional technologies to increase the energy savings and reduce their dependence on volatile grid power.
With the installation of Viron Energy Services UtilityVisionSM, a Web-based integrated metering and control technology, county personnel can now incrementally power down the chillers in the courthouse as well as four other county buildings, through any computer with an Internet connection and standard Web browser. This allows the county to efficiently manage energy use while maintaining occupant comfort all with the click of a mouse.