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State Planning and Incentive Structures | Energy Efficiency Actions | Energy Supply Actions

State Planning and Incentive Structures

Lead By Example—Energy Efficiency in Public Facilities

Status: Completed

Details: On June 19, 2008, Governor Bill Ritter announced a “New Energy Communities” initiative that includes $10 million for energy efficiency programs. The initiative will facilitate partnerships among counties, municipalities, school districts, and other local governments to upgrade, retrofit, or develop energy-efficient public facilities such as county courthouses, city halls, public works facilities, libraries, judicial facilities, and community centers.
On May 27, 2008, Governor Bill Ritter signed SB 147, which adds low-income housing to the list of state buildings that must be built to high-performance energy standards.
Executive Order D0011 07 ("Greening of State Government"), signed April 16, 2007, charges State departments, agencies and offices to take a position of leadership in the by reducing state energy consumption, increasing state use of renewable energy sources, increasing the energy efficiency and decreasing the environmental impact of the state vehicle fleet, implementing environmental purchasing standards and requiring attention to energy and environmental impacts of purchasing and materials decisions. Specifically, the order sets a goal that by fiscal year 2011-2012, state government achieve at least a 20 percent reduction in energy consumption of state facilities below fiscal year 2005-2006 levels.
SB 07-051, enacted in 2007, directs the state architect (Department of Personnel and Administration) to adopt a "high performance standard certification program" that state building projects will be required to meet. The program must include standards and performance that can be quantified and verified by an independent third party; reduce long-term operating costs by reducing energy, water, and other resource consumption; and recoup increased initial costs within 15 years through lower operating costs.
SJR 06-032, enacted in 2006, urges the state of Colorado and its agencies and departments to design and construct facilities to achieve LEED silver certification when cost effective.
Executive Order D 005-05, signed in July 2005, requires all state government agencies and departments to adopt the LEED rating system for existing and new buildings to ensure reductions in energy use to the extent practical and cost effective. The executive order also requires an energy management program within state agencies to monitor and manage utility use and costs.

Lead By Example—Energy Efficient Appliance and Equipment Purchase Requirements for Public Facilities

Status: No Activity Identified

Lead By Example—Clean Energy Goals for Public Facilities

Status: Completed (with caveat)

Details: Statute (CRS 24-82) requires all state buildings designed after 1981 to make maximum use of passive solar concepts such as energy conservation, natural lighting, and orientation and incorporation of thermal-mass; and make maximum use of economically feasible renewable energy systems.

Lead By Example—Energy Efficiency and Alternative Fuel Goals for Public Fleets

Status: Completed

Details: The Executive Director of the state Department of Personnel adopted a policy that requires all state-owned diesel vehicles and equipment to be fueled with a fuel blend of 20% biodiesel and 80% petroleum diesel (B20), subject to the availability of the fuel and so long as the price is no greater than $0.10 more per gallon than the price of conventional diesel. House Bill 1228, signed by Governor Ritter on June 1, 2007, requires the Executive Director to adopt a policy to increase the utilization of alternative fuels and establish increasing utilization objectives for each succeeding year by January 1, 2008. Governor Ritter's April 16, 2007, "Greening Government" Executive Order includes a directive to reduce volumetric petroleum consumption by state vehicles by 25% by June 30, 2012, while increasing energy efficiency of the state's fleet.

State and Regional Energy Planning

Status: Completed

Details: Colorado is part of the Western Governor's Association (WGA). In June 2006, the Governors signed resolutions to meet or exceed goals of 30,000 MW of clean energy by 2015 and a 20% increase in energy efficiency by 2020, to encourage adequate funding for state energy efficiency and renewable generation programs, and to facilitate development of regional energy markets.

Determining the Air Quality Benefits of Clean Energy—Energy Efficiency/Renewable Energy Set Asides (NOX Budget Trading Program)

Status: No Activity Identified

Determining the Air Quality Benefits of Clean Energy—Energy Efficiency/Renewable Energy Set Asides (CAIR Budget Trading Program)

Status: No Activity Identified

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Energy Efficiency Actions

Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standards

Status: Completed/Further Work Proposed

Details: The Colorado House approved HB 1107 on February 27, 2008, but in April 2008 a Senate committee postponed the bill indefinitely. HB 1107 would require municipal utilities and rural electric coops to spend at least 1% of revenue on energy efficiency programs in 2009 and 2% in 2010 and thereafter.
The CO EEPS is part of a utility settlement agreement with Public Service of Colorado. The savings target includes 320MW and 800GWh savings between 2006 and 2013 (40MW and 100GWh each year).

Public Benefit Funds for Energy Efficiency

Status: No Activity Identified

Building Codes for Energy Efficiency—Commercial Programs

Status: No Activity Identified

Details: HB 1146, signed by the Governor on May 3, 2007, requires every municipality with a building energy code to meet or exceed the standards of the 2003 IECC. Because Colorado is a "home rule" state without a statewide building code, it is labeled "No Activity Identified." Previously, the state had voluntary state provisions based on the 2003 IECC/ASHRAE 90.1-2001. Denver adopted the 2003 IECC. Ft. Collins and other local jurisdictions adopted a modified 1995 MEC and ASHRAE 90.1-1989.

Building Codes for Energy Efficiency—Residential Programs

Status: No Activity Identified

Details: HB 1146, signed by the Governor on May 3, 2007, requires that 2003 IECC or any successor edition be the minimum energy code for any jurisdiction that has adopted a building code; can use REScheck to show compliance. Because Colorado is a "home rule" state without a statewide building code, it is labeled "No Activity Identified." 1993 MEC is mandatory for hotels, motels, and multifamily dwellings in any area that does not adopt or enforce local codes.

State Appliance Efficiency Standards

Status: No Activity Identified

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Energy Supply Actions

Renewable Portfolio Standards

Status: Completed

Details: House Bill 1281 (signed March 27, 2007) amended Colorado's existing RPS by mandating that all electric cooperatives with more than 40,000 customers follow an RPS schedule of 1% renewable energy by 2008, 3% by 2011, 6% by 2015, and 10% by 2020 and for subsequent years. All investor-owned utilities will follow a schedule of 3% by 2007, 5% by 2008, 10% by 2011, 15% by 2015, and 20% for the year 2020 and for each following year. For investor-owned utility companies, at least 4% of the requirement must include power generated by solar-electric technologies. Energy generated in Colorado is favored, so that each kilowatt-hour (kWh) of renewable electricity generated in-state will be counted as 1.25 kWh for the purposes of meeting the standard. The Colorado Public Utilities Commission made the original RPS rules official by adopting 4 CCR 723-3-3650 (et seq.) in July 2006. In November 2004, Colorado was the first state to have an RPS adopted by ballot when residents approved Amendment 37, creating an RPS standard under which utilities with more than 40,000 customers must provide an increasing percentage of electricity from renewable energy.

Public Benefit Funds for Clean Energy Supply

Status: No Activity Identified

Output-Based Environmental Regulations

Status: No Activity Identified

Interconnection Standards—Clean Distributed Generation

Status: Completed/Further Work Proposed

Details: In October 2005, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) adopted rules implementing the state's Renewable Energy Standard, as required by Amendment 37 of 2004. The CPUC order created interconnection standards and net-metering requirements for all qualifying retail utilities (QRUs) that serve over 40,000 customers and all cooperative utilities. In 2008, H.B. 1160 was enacted, requiring municipal utilities with 5,000 customers or more to adopt interconnection rules that are functionally similar to the CPUC's rules. HB 1160 also requires the CPUC to initiate a rulemaking by October 1, 2008, to determine if CPUC interconnection rules should continue to apply to cooperative utilities in their current form.

Interconnection Standards—Net Metering

Status: Completed

Details: On March 26, 2008, Colorado Governor Bill Ritter signed H.B. 1160, which requires all cooperative electricity associations and municipally owned utilities serving more than 5,000 customers to allow residential customers that generate up to 10 kW of electricity and commercial or industrial customers that generate up to 25 kW from eligible renewable energy resources to offset their retail electricity consumption with the power they produce.
H.B. 1169 (introduced 2007, in Appropriations Committee as of July 16, 2008), would give rural customers credit for wind and other solar energy they generate. Under current law, cooperative electric associations can prohibit their customers from taking advantage of net metering. On May 23, 2007, HB 07-1169 was signed, which allows utilities to reduce or wave insurance requirements (fees) for grid-connected DG systems. On November 2, 2004, Colorado voters passed Amendment 37 (which was adopted by the Public Utility Commission in October 2005), which established a statewide net metering system. The rules allow net metering for commercial, industrial, and residential customers up to 2 MW, and cover solar, landfill gas, wind, biomass, anaerobic digestion, small hydro, and fuel cell systems.

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