Most homes built recently in Pitkin County have features like snowmelt that add to carbon load
“Melting snow outdoors is obviously very energy intensive. You’re trying to make a surface be warm enough to turn ice to water when the temperature outside is that of ice,” said August Hasz, president and principal engineer at REG, a Crested Butte-based engineering firm, who has been consulting with Pitkin County. “It’s a phase change, it takes a lot of energy.”
Source: aspentimes.com