Nestled and yet bustling in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, the University of Colorado campus city of Boulder has intiated and completed many energy sustainability initiatives over the years.
The Boulder City Council is considering a crucial path forward as it mulls the fate of a Climate Action Plan Tax which has funded nearly $2 million in community work toward lowering greenhouse gas emissions. The CAP tax is set to expire in March 2021.
City councilors are evaluating two options to maintain funding for Boulder’s climate work. One is to extend the CAP tax in its current form, while the other is to modify it and align to community needs.
Voters also will have a say in possible changes to climate funding in Boulder this year.
Since 2007, this tax and other funding has helped city leaders institute numerous climate initiatives. These improvements include $2 million in residential rebates for homeowners who upgraded heating, cooling and energy efficiency services.
See EnergyTech's full coverage of Energy Efficiency projects in the C&I Energy Transition
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More than 7,000 residential rental units have been upgraded to meet Boulder’s SmartRegs energy efficiency requirements, lowering utility bills for both renters and property owners.
Other energy efficiency upgrades have impacted commercial buildings in the city, according to the Boulder city website. More than 1,200 business have shifted to electric heating, replacing outdated lighting and upgraded other equipment.
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(Rod Walton, senior editor for EnergyTech, is a 14-year veteran of covering the energy industry both as a newspaper and trade journalist. He can reached at [email protected]).
