Climate Action, Sustainability and Resiliency - City and County of Denver

New Year's Resolution: Plant More Trees 🌳 Watch our interview with Denver 7 to learn how Denver is planning to plant thousands of trees to increase shade and reduce erosion and surface temperatures ➡️ https://bit.ly/4iQdNFY

Check out our new solar carport at Lincoln HS! Thank you to our partner Climate Action, Sustainability and Resiliency - City and County of Denver for making this possible. We were able to support Denver Public Schools families with energy credits to offset their utility bills. The city partnered with McKinstry for installation and this beautiful footage. The city also partnered with Energy Outreach Colorado for our family subscriptions. It really does take a village... #bettertogether #climateaction #solar #schools #publiceducation #sustainability

Since 2023, $1M has gone to 22 organizations to help them improve their green workforce training. One of the recipients of the city's Green Workforce program grant was Blue Sky Training. This organization offers custom training programs focusing on the city's construction workforce. Blue Sky Training used the grant to create a new course curriculum. One course teaches participants how to maintain healthy homes. The other course teaches participants how to assess energy efficiency in multifamily buildings. These trainings will help workers meet the city's need for cleaner, healthier, more efficient homes. They also prepare participants for the Building Performance Institute (BPI) certification exam. This exam is a must-have credential for the industry. Blue Sky is the only BPI-Certified Test Center in Colorado! Learn more about the Blue Sky Training courses: https://bit.ly/41HvlhC Learn more about Denver's Green Workforce program: https://bit.ly/4e4Ctaw

The city recently shared its plan to revise parking requirements for new developments. Our Executive Director, Liz Babcock, shares her optimistic thoughts on this plan. She says, "By eliminating parking minimums, we can take a significant step towards fulfilling Denverites' demands for sustainability and affordability. Cars and trucks are the leading contributors to air pollution in our city. This move allows the community to determine the number of parking spaces necessary, helping us cultivate more walkable neighborhoods and increase transportation choices." Read more about this new plan: https://bit.ly/4fhIeSp

‼️ Good News! It's not too late to grab a rebate to help you upgrade your building's space or water heating. Commercial and multifamily buildings can save thousands when they apply for our Heat Pump Rebates for Existing Buildings. ‼️ ‼️ Even better news! We recently increased rebate amounts to better align with the needs of our communities. ‼️ ‼️ ‼️ The best news? Starting in 2025, we will have millions of dollars in new rebates for new commercial and multifamily construction, energy audits for existing buildings, and MORE. Stay tuned for more information - we are SO EXCITED!

We're hiring! We are looking for a Zero Waste and Circular Economy Manager. This role will lead the team and oversee programs and policies aimed at helping Denver reduce waste. Apply by Monday, 12/23: https://bit.ly/41BDzaY

We're hiring! Our Finance and Administration team is looking for a Contract Administrator. This position will help develop, implement, and monitor requests for proposals and contracts. Apply by 12/18: https://bit.ly/4gxJWA3

This fall, we have been working hard to examine and make updates to the Energize Denver Building Performance Policy. Denver is committed to making the p olicy work better for businesses while achieving our city’s ambitious climate goals.   We have already seen buildings in Denver succeeding and seeing the benefits as they work through their Energize Denver Performance Requirements! For example, meet Tim Sullivan, who was hired to analyze energy use at Midtown Medical. Located on the Saint Joseph Hospital campus, Midtown Medical is a six-story building that hosts hundreds of patients everyday. Between 2019 and 2023, the building’s energy use per square foot dropped 17%. Sullivan knew that capital investments hadn’t been made for energy efficiency during that time period. There wasn’t a large drop in patient traffic. The seasons weren’t any milder with their heating and cooling demands. The efficiency gains were so dramatic that Sullivan next reached out to Xcel Energy to check that the meters were working properly. But, Xcel verified the utility meters were working properly. The building’s efficiency gains were real. So what caused the huge drop in Midtown Medical’s energy intensity? The answer, Sullivan discovered, came from a colleague’s tinkering with the building’s antiquated Building Automation System. The trial-and-error process cost just a few thousand dollars and brought Midtown Medical into compliance with its Energize Denver 2025 target in only a few months. After a year of the changes being in place, the building is tracking to meet its 2030 Energize Denver target as well. Learn more about the upgrades we're making to the Energize Denver Building Performance Policy: https://bit.ly/49p1b4o

We're hiring! Our Green Workforce Team seeks a Green Workforce Administrator. This role will work directly with green workforce vendors to provide on-going support and guidance to ensure programs align with CASR’s workforce vision. Apply by Wednesday, 1/1: #greenjobs #SeeYourselfHere Climate Action, Sustainability and Resiliency - City and County of Denver

⚠️ ⚠️ ⚠️ Big FYI for the Commercial Building sector: Section 10-20 of the Denver municipal code directs the city to make updates to the commercial energy code by January 1, 2025. These updates relate to required electrification of specific types of furnaces and water heaters at end of system life in existing buildings. We want to clarify that the city has not yet made those changes and will not do so before January 1, 2025. We will announce a process early in 2025 to update the energy code with stakeholder engagement. In the interim, the provisions of the 2022 Denver Energy Code for space and water heating continue to apply. You can sign up to receive more news from us on this process through our newsletter: https://bit.ly/3SDVUz6 Learn more about the 2022 Denver Energy Code: https://bit.ly/41oIVpI