Boulder than the rest: solar panels and high-efficiency equipment make this facility a real energy saver.(PROFILES IN GREEN)

The original plan wasn't intended to be so green. "We were 80 percent through the design process," says Bill Boyes, facilities and fleet manager for the city of Boulder, Colo. Then the mayor got wind of the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program (aka LEED) and asked the city to investigate it further. Maybe it could work for the North Boulder Recreation Center. The facility could be environmentally friendly while saving the city thousands of dollars.

The green component added an extra 2 percent to the facility's bill, for a total of $11.6 million. Along with LEED-silver certification, that price tag got the Boulder facility sun-fired swimming water; zero-depth leisure pool with water slides and play features; 8-lane, 25-yard lap pool with a wheelchair-accessible ramp; diving well and 4,400-gallon hot tub.

A total of 142 flat solar panels, measuring 4-by-10-feet, collect the sun's energy on the lap pool's roof. A glycol anti-freeze solution circulates through the panel collectors, absorbing the sun's energy. Using a heat exchanger, the energy is transferred to the pool water. The same panels also heat water for the locker room showers.

The system cost nearly $260,000, which included plans far snow loading and wind issues. But it saves nearly $15,000 annually in natural gas. High-efficiency water heaters turn on only at night and when the temperature drops.

In addition, the facility uses high-efficiency pumps on a traditional chlorine treatment system. Officials rely on natural daylight from the overhead skylights to brighten the facility.

The air distribution system is designed specifically to eliminate chloramines and chemicals in the atmosphere as much as possible. The center does not have air conditioning, but has a heat-air exchanger ...