The Routt County Climate Action Plan (CAP) Collaborative has been awarded a grant of $264,100 to create a plan to electrify and decarbonize buildings throughout the county. Awarded by Colorado Energy Office through the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program, the money will enable local governments to take the essential first steps toward curbing Routt County’s top source of greenhouse gas emissions.
The grant money will support the creation of a building electrification and decarbonization plan, a progress tracking dashboard, education and outreach, workforce development and implementation.
According to a 2018 greenhouse gas emissions study, buildings account for 54% of carbon emissions in Routt County. Recent modeling completed by Yampa Valley Sustainability Council, the program management entity of the CAP Collaborative, shows that it is possible to reduce emissions by 88% when factoring in beneficial electrification in addition to other initiatives — a 14% improvement compared to the 74% goal outlined in the original plan.
The project, which will include assessing existing buildings throughout the county and conducting an inventory of their energy use, will be essential to achieving the Climate Action Plan’s most impactful goals of cataloging and electrifying high energy use buildings.
“The Energy Working Group recognized that the CAP governments need to fund the development of a strategic action plan that will meet the 2050 CAP energy efficiency and beneficial electrification goals for existing residential, commercial and industrial buildings,” YVSC Energy and Transportation Director Paul Bony said. “The Working Group also identified the need for funding to begin the implementation of an aggressive energy and carbon reduction program targeting existing buildings, develop qualified contractors to support this work and support this ongoing effort with education and other outreach.”
In addition to fighting climate change by reducing carbon emissions, building electrification will reduce the public’s exposure to indoor air pollutants, reduce the chance of gas leaks, increase building comfort and quality and save households hundreds of dollars per year in the long-term.
The block grant is the first intergovernmental grant the Routt County Climate Action Plan Collaborative has received, signifying a shift from the goal setting phase to project planning and implementation to bring the community closer to a no-carbon future.
“The signed intergovernmental agreement between Routt County, City of Steamboat Springs and Towns of Hayden, Oak Creek and Yampa upon which the CAP Collaborative was established was key to the success of our proposal,” said CAP Board Chair Gail Garey. “We also recognize the efforts of the CAP Energy Working Group who brought this recommendation forward as a priority climate action.”
The Colorado Energy Office awarded a total of $1.9 million to governments throughout the state to carry out climate action projects. Other recipient communities include Larimer County, Durango, Pueblo, Colorado River Valley, San Miguel and Ouray and Lake Counties. Read CEO press release here.
