PACE Newsletter | January 2023

January 2023

Welcome to Partners for a Clean Environment's (PACE) newsletter. PACE is your one-stop shop for business sustainability in Boulder County. This newsletter is emailed once a month and shares ways your business can save money and energy through sustainability and climate action initiatives.

Now Available: 2023 PACE Rebates

New rebates to help your business move off of natural gas:

Building electrification study incentive
Interested in transitioning away from natural gas equipment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but don’t know where to start? Consider an energy engineering study and receive a rebate from PACE:
Up to 50% of project costs and $10,000 cap for most properties
$1,500 + $0.50/sf
Bonus incentives are available for small businesses (up tp 2,500 sq. ft.) or nonprofits serving low-income individuals
Thanks to the City of Boulder's Climate Tax, the first 10 buildings to utilize this incentive in Boulder in 2023 may be eligible an additional $1,000 incentive up to 100% of study costs
Induction cooking incentive
$450/hob (burner) + $500 bonus for replacing natural gas equipment
Both incentives are only for equipment that replaces natural gas equipment
Thanks to additional funding from the City of Boulder, the first 15 restaurants in Boulder to use the induction cooking incentive are eligible for an extra $500 bonus
Electric landscaping equipment rebates
To help the transition from gas-powered equipment to electric, PACE will be offering rebates for electrifying landscaping equipment. We anticipate a timeline of March for rebates to be fully fledged out and ready to go! If you are interested in electric landscaping rebates please reach out to a PACE advisor by calling 303-786-7223 or emailing info@PACEpartners.com

Changes to existing rebates:

Incentives for solar installations are now $0.75 per watt based on system capacity and capped at $10,000. The bonus incentive for nonprofits who serve low-income populations has increased to $10,000 with an additional bonus of up to $35,000 for nonprofits in the City of Boulder (funded by the City of Boulder).
PACE will no longer offer rebates for equipment that only provide cooling. Instead, check out our rebates for heat pumps that provide both heating and cooling. Heat pump rebates include:
$1,000/ton for cold climate heat pumps, air source or ground source heat pumps
$500/ton for non-cold climate air source heat pumps
While dishwasher replacement rebates from PACE are not changing, we are now also offering rebates for new dishwashers (where there wasn’t an existing dishwasher) to promote the use of reusable service ware and to conserve water
Insulation rebates have been doubled (now between $0.12 to $0.64 per square foot) for businesses under 2,500 square feet and nonprofits that serve low-income populations

Don't forget that we continue to have rebates for:

Replacing natural gas equipment with electric equipment ($500 bonus)
Heat pumps for heating and cooling
Heat pump hot water heaters
Heat recovery ventilators and energy recovery ventilators
Window film
Lighting, including free LED tubes for qualifying businesses (including installation)
Food service and grocery equipment, including our Small Business Equity Program, which covers up to 70% of project costs for refrigeration and food service equipment
Custom rebates for other efficient electric equipment
And more! If it uses electricity and can be more efficient, we probably have a rebate for it.

Funding for PACE's rebates and incentives comes from Boulder County's Sustainability Tax and the City of Boulder's Climate Tax.

For more information including the details and fine print, visit the rebate page on our website. All rebates are subject to our existing terms and conditions. In the meantime, contact a PACE advisor today at info@PACEpartners.com with any questions.

In addition to PACE rebates, Boulder County businesses can join the Climate Action Challenge. The Climate Action Challenge is a county-wide initiative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% by 2030. Businesses that join the Challenge receive opportunities for replacing older, inefficient equipment with newer, more sustainable equipment; from LED lightbulbs to refrigeration units and induction cooktops. For more information about the Challenge visit pacepartners.com/challenge.

Restore Colorado Program

Click on the photo above to watch a feature about Restore Colorado.

Restore Colorado is a collaboration aimed to improve resilience and tackle climate change through food and healthy soil on local farms and ranches.

With support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and its Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production, Boulder County is collaborating with Mad Agriculture, Zero Foodprint, and other local governments to engage with and build connections between the agricultural and restaurant communities.

Consumers can contribute to the Restore Colorado fund a few cents at a time, through an optional 1% fee at participating restaurants and food businesses. Zero Foodprint then distributes the Restore Colorado fund to local farmers and ranchers for climate-beneficial practices overseen by Mad Agriculture.

Restore Colorado grants are available for spreading compost on depleted soil, cover cropping, technical assistance, and more –whether a producer is already practicing regenerative agriculture, or just taking their first steps toward carbon farming.

Restaurants interested in participating in Restore Colorado can email info@zerofoodprint.org or visit www.zerofoodprint.org for more information.

Farms and agricultural producers interested in participating in Restore Colorado can email connect@madagriculture.org or visit www.madagriculture.org for more information.

Colorado Offers Employers a Tax Credit to

Support Alternative Commute Options

Boulder Transportation Connections is excited to announce a new program, Boulder Commuter Connections (BCCP), that provides transportation options to lower-income, contract, alternative shift, and essential workers in Boulder. BCCP provides subsidies for individuals who qualify.

FAQs:

What is it?

For tax years 2023 and 2024, the State of Colorado will provide a refundable tax credit of 50% for employer expenses related to providing alternative transportation options to employees.

Why?

The tax credit’s purposes are to increase the use of alternative transportation, reduce traffic congestion and improve the state’s air quality.

Who qualifies?

Low income
Contract/alternative shift:
Boulder employees who work on a contract basis or who work alternative shifts qualify for this program. This includes employees working for companies not based in Boulder, but whose primary work site is in Boulder.
Essential worker: Based on federal and state essential guidelines, a number of major job sectors qualify as essential, including but not limited to:
Energy
Child care
Water and wastewater
Agriculture and food production
Critical retail (i.e. grocery stores, hardware stores, mechanics)
Critical trades (construction workers, electricians, plumbers, etc.)
Transportation
Nonprofits and social service organizations

What qualifies?

Expenses related to supporting anything other than driving alone, including transit, biking, shuttles, carpooling, vanpooling, and administrative expenses.

What's in it for me?

Ride for Free with Vanpool
When you commit to carpooling to work, BTC will pay for your gas for up to 10 months! (Beginning in November of 2023).
Free Transit Pass
Boulder Bicycle Membership
Community Cycles Gift Card

Register today, and complete a quick 10-minute assessment – visit coloradocleancommute.org to get started and learn more!