NEWS RELEASE
BOULDER COUNTY
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As Boulder County continues to recover from and adapt to the intensifying impacts of the climate crisis, Governor Jared Polis signed into law SB22-206. This landmark bill provides critical firefighting support, helps Coloradans build back with resilience in the wake of future natural disasters, and establishes an Office of Climate Preparedness that will take a long-term approach to wildfire mitigation.
SB22-206's first offering will be a grant program from the Colorado Energy Office for homes lost in the Marshall Fire and East Troublesome Fire. These grants will provide $10,000 for high efficiency electric homes or long-term rental units. To qualify for this incentive, the rebuilt homes must use heat pumps for space heating, electric stoves (either electric resistance or induction), and heat pump water heaters. Incidental gas use for equipment, such as fireplaces or grills, is allowed.
Additionally, homes must be built to the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code standards, Boulder County’s BuildSmart standards for unincorporated Boulder County, or stronger standards — to earn this incentive. The details of timing and program administration are still being finalized and will be shared on RebuildingBetter.org when they are available. This incentive from the Colorado Energy Office may be added to the incentive program offered by Xcel Energy for Marshall Fire victims.
New advising support available to Marshall Fire affected residents
EnergySmart, Boulder County’s free residential energy efficiency advising program, has hired Robby Schwarz as a dedicated Marshall Fire New Homes Building Advisor. Schwarz’s advising services are available at no cost to homeowners, builders, code officials, trade partners, and others, in order to facilitate rebuilding homes that are comfortable, healthy, efficient, and maximize cost savings.
Schwarz brings to EnergySmart over 25 years of experience in the residential new construction industry where he has worked with local and national builders to deliver the most cost-effective approaches in high-performance home building. He has extensive experience helping builders achieve International Energy Conservation Code, ENERGY STAR Residential New Home, Department of Energy Zero Energy Ready Home, and Indoor airPLUS compliance. Schwarz is also a certified Home Energy Rating System (HERS) rater, and Passive House institute of the US (PHIUS) Certified passive house consultant.
EnergySmart’s advising services are available at no cost to Boulder County residents. EnergySmart advisors are independent third-parties that can help homeowners and building teams plan homes that meet budget and performance goals while maximizing available incentives and discounts.
Available EnergySmart services include:
- Answering homeowner, builder, architect, and energy consultant questions
- Providing information on available incentives and how to access them
- Analyzing and explaining building science details and information
- Advising construction strategies and implementation
- Discussing attributes and applications of building materials
- Maximizing available rebates and incentives
- Advising cost effectiveness strategies that achieve the best building performance
- Speaking with builders and architects on behalf of homeowners
For more information call 303-544-1000 or email [email protected].
On June 23 at 9 am, EnergySmart is hosting a meeting for builders and architects supporting Marshall Fire rebuilding efforts. This meeting is an opportunity to learn about the latest homeowner and builder rebates, grants, and discounts available for Marshall Fire projects.
This meeting will also share information about support services available for building professionals as well as provide a forum to share feedback about what building professionals need to make constructing high-performance homes easier. Register here.
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