This bill focuses on energy use benchmarking, performance standards, and building decarbonization in Colorado. Here’s what it does:
Key Updates to Energy Performance Standards for Buildings
New 2040 Performance Standards
Owners of certain buildings (covered building owners) must meet new energy performance standards by 2040.
These standards will be set by the Air Quality Control Commission, with input from the Colorado Energy Office and a task force.
Alternative Compliance Mechanism
Some building owners may have alternative ways to comply with the performance standards, allowing flexibility in how they meet the requirements.
Civil Penalties Alignment
The bill makes penalties for violating energy benchmarking and performance standardsequal to penalties for other air quality violations.
Creation of a Building Decarbonization Enterprise
The bill establishes a Building Decarbonization Enterprise to help building owners:
Improve energy efficiency
Transition to electrification
Upgrade energy systems
Use on-bill repayment programs (programs that allow upgrades with costs paid through utility bills).
This enterprise will be funded by an annual building decarbonization fee collected from building owners.
Local Government Energy Code Exemptions
Local governments that adopt building codeswon’t have to adopt a separate energy code if they have already implemented an approved wildfire resiliency code.
This bill raises energy performance requirements for certain buildings by 2040, introduces compliance flexibility, aligns penalties with air quality violations, and creates a fund to help building owners decarbonize. Additionally, it exempts some local governments from energy code requirements if they adopt wildfire resiliency codes.
Summary
The bill updates energy use benchmarking and performance
standard requirements for owners of certain buildings (covered building owners), including:
•
A requirement to meet 2040 performance standards, as adopted by the air quality control commission, in consultation with the Colorado energy office (office) and in consideration of recommendations made by a task force convened by the office;
•
Authorizing an alternative compliance mechanism for covered building owners to comply with certain performance standards; and
•
Aligning civil penalties owed for a violation of the benchmarking and performance standard requirements with civil penalties owed for other air quality violations.
The bill also creates a building decarbonization enterprise
(enterprise) to provide financial assistance, technical assistance, and other programmatic assistance to covered building owners to effectively and efficiently implement building decarbonization measures, including energy efficiency measures, electrification measures, energy upgrades, and participation in utility on-bill repayment programs. The enterprise is authorized to impose and collect from covered building owners an annual building decarbonization fee to cover the enterprise's costs in providing the financial, technical, and programmatic assistance.
The bill exempts a local government that adopts building codes
from the requirement to adopt an energy code if the local government has adopted an approved wildfire resiliency code.
