Senator Eliot Shapleigh - El Paso, Texas

Louie Elorduy of the City of El Paso Parks Department walks across the roof at the Armijo Pool Wednesday where a huge solar water heating system was installed to warm the center's two pools. (Mark Lambie/El Paso Times)

EL PASO -- The city government is going green to save some green.

Solar panels were recently installed at seven city-run indoor pools to heat the water. The estimated savings are $1.5 million in energy costs over 10 years, said city General Services Director Stuart Ed, whose department spearheaded the project.

"We're taking advantage of El Paso's abundant year-round sunshine and putting that community resource to good use to save the taxpayers money," Ed said.

The solar panels cost $885,000, including installation, and have a 30- to 35-year life span.

City Rep. Steve Ortega praised the project.

"Anytime you can save money and be friendly to the environment, that's a positive," he said.

Solar-powered pools are just part of a larger citywide effort to conserve energy and make city operations more energy efficient.

The city hired Johnson Controls Inc., a global company specializing in energy efficiency, to serve as general contractor for a $14.7 million project.

This includes the solar panels at the swimming pools, installing 6,600 energy-efficient traffic signals at 350 intersections and upgrading 53 buildings to be more environmentally friendly. The buildings will receive new heating and cooling systems, lights, sensors to turn off lights and centralized temperature controls.

The project is about 60 percent completed and will be done later this year, Ed said.

Overall savings are expected to be $20.3 million over 10 years. The city financed the project through two loans and will pay them back with the savings it realizes on utility bills, Ed said.

Johnson Controls has guaranteed that the city will meet its energy-savings goals. If it doesn't, the company will reimburse the city the difference, Ed said.

To meet its goals, the city needs to cut its utility bills by about 30 percent. So far, it's seeing 40 percent savings at sites that have already gotten the upgrades, Ed said.

Bill Addington, who serves on executive committees for the Sierra Club both in El Paso and regionally, said the city project is an example of forward-thinking leadership.

"Not only will this save our precious natural resources and do our part to minimize greenhouse gas emissions, it will save the taxpayers money," Addington said. "Ten years isn't a long time to pay back the entire expenditure."

The city received an award earlier this year from the Texas chapter of the American Public Works Association, honoring this initiative as the state's top environmental project.