January 2024

Greetings,

Happy New Year!

You will notice we have a new masthead. We have rebranded our outreach and community building effort as Climate CitiSuns, to reflect the broader nature of our work to educate people about the climate crisis. 2023 was by far the world's hottest on record, and key earth systems are on the brink of collapse, so the imperative to stop burning fossil fuels keeps growing more urgent. We hope we can provide you with some meaningful actions to take.

We have also updated our web site at NewEnergyColorado.com and added a variety of resources to help you learn more and then take action. Please spend some time looking around! You can learn about solar energy systems, heat pumps, available incentives and much more.

Finally, we have revised our organizational logos so that it is clear that both Climate CitiSuns and the Metro Denver Green Homes Tour are programs of our nonprofit, New Energy Colorado.

Sunny regards,

Rebecca Cantwell

for New Energy Colorado

Please forward this newsletter to friends and colleagues and let us know what else you would like to read about by emailing us here

Clean Heat or Dirty Gas?

Should clean heat plans encourage electric heating or keep emphasizing piping fossil methane gas to homes?

That’s a fundamental question in the plans now before state regulators.

Xcel Energy and Black Hills Energy, Colorado’s two biggest investor-owned utilities, have both proposed Clean Heat Plans as required under a state law mandating gas utilities to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

Citizen groups are arguing in the Xcel proceeding before the Public Utilities Commission that the opportunity to replace polluting methane gas with clean electricity for heating buildings is great. Colorado’s electric grid will be nearly 80% powered by wind and solar in the next seven years, while methane from natural gas spews greenhouse gas emissions.

Today’s heat pumps are very efficient and perform well in cold climates where they are widely used, and do not contribute to indoor air pollution. But Xcel has been sowing doubt about the efficiency of heat pumps by misrepresenting scientific studies, which have overwhelming demonstrated the improved benefits and performance of these heating and cooling appliances. The utility's goal appears to be maintaining our dependence on fossil natural gas. Xcel has also proposed mixing hydrogen with natural gas, which many experts believe would be more dangerous and expensive than pursuing electrification of buildings. A study by leading environmental groups lays out how Xcel could meet its goals here: A Path to Pollution-Free Buildings: Meeting Xcel’s 2030 Gas Decarbonization Goals.

A public hearing on the plan was held in January but there’s still plenty of time for you to comment.

The Black Hills Clean Heat plan is just beginning its journey through the regulatory process and the Xcel plan will be ongoing for likely a few months.

TO MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD

To follow the Xcel plan, look up Proceeding No. 23A-0392EG here.

The Commission encourages public comments on any issue they are considering. Anyone may file a comment or objection to a proceeding online here. You can also email dora_puc_website@state.co.us, call 303-869-3490 or submit comments by mail:

Colorado Public Utilities Commission

1560 Broadway, Suite 250

Denver, CO 80202

Regulators Trim Xcel's Electric Resource Plan

Colorado will see a great deal more wind, solar and storage in the coming years according to a preliminary decision on Xcel Energy's plan for future electric generation by state regulators. But they cut about $3 billion from the overall $15 billion plan over concerns about the cost of proposed transmission and questions whether the grid can handle so much at present.

The Colorado Public Utilities Commission will finalize the Electric Resource Plan, in a written order.

Xcel had proposed adding 6,540 megawatts of wind, solar and storage resources. The alternative backed by the commission cuts that by about 1,350 megawatts. One MW can supply electricity to several hundred homes.

The commission also boosts the amount of new natural gas to be built from the proposed 628 megawatts to 669 megawatts, to the chagrin of environmental and community groups who have been pushing for a phaseout of fossil gas construction.

The alternative plan endorsed by regulators also cuts the share of new generation that Xcel would own, from roughly two-thirds to about half. They also added a performance incentive.

Commissioners argued that they think all the proposed renewable energy will be needed but fear front-loading the system with more than it may be able to handle at present.

Environmental advocates, however, said that delaying investments in more renewable energy will be more costly in the long run and do less to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Read more about the plan here

Links to more documents about the plan here

ELECTRIC VEHICLE INCENTIVES KEEP GROWING

If you’ve been considering buying an electric car, the incentives keep getting better.

Starting in 2024, the federal credits (available to those whose taxed income is less than $150,000 for individuals or $300,000 for married folks) are easier to use, and car dealers can front buyers the money. You can get a partial credit of $3,500 for vehicles that do not qualify for the whole credit.

You can find the list of vehicles that qualify for the full incentive or the partial incentive on fueleconomy.gov. The criteria for cars now require being manufactured in the United States and costing less than $55,000 for a car and $80,000 for an SUV.

In Colorado, the credit is $5,000 for a car that costs less than $80,000, and starting this month, buyers can get an additional $2,500 if the car is less than $35,000.

Additionally, the “cash for clunkers’’ program offers more incentives. Coloradans who have owned a car that is at least 12 years old and make less than 80% of their area median income can also trade in the operational gas or diesel-powered car for a $6,000 rebate.

In addition to saving on gasoline, buyers can also benefit from Xcel Energy’s $1,300 rebate for installation of an EV charger .

Thanks to these sources for the information:

Navigate through federal, state tax incentives of buying an electric vehicle (denverpost.com)

Electric Vehicle Tax Credits | Colorado Energy Office

DE-CO - Drive Electric Colorado

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And don't forget all the other ways the Inflation Reduction Act can help you pay for home improvements to save energy!

Here are some more links to helpful information:
-Summary of Building Electrification Utility Rebates (loveelectric.org)
-Summary of federal residential energy efficiency tax credits: Energy Efficient ---Home Improvement Credit | Internal Revenue Service (irs.gov)
-Fact Sheet on residential clean energy and energy efficiency tax credits: Frequently asked questions about energy efficient home improvements and residential clean energy property credits (irs.gov)
-National Database on incentives and rebates: https://www.dsireusa.org/
-Home Energy Rebates Frequently Asked Questions | Department of Energy

Upcoming Events

CRES- Denver

PASSIVE HOUSE AND BUILDING PERFORMANCE IN THE AGE OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES

Thursday, January 18 at 7:00 PM | Hybrid Event | MDCRES

Have you been thinking about getting an electric car (EV) AND modifying your home to all electric? If so, you may have also wondered if your home or even your neighborhood’s electric grid can handle the additional load. After all, EV’s create a tremendous impact on your electrical consumption. Our Speaker, Enrico Bonilauri, will present on Passive House and building performance in the age of electric vehicles.

RSVP HERE

JCRES

THERMAL ENERGY STORAGE: WHEN PHYSICS BEATS CHEMISTRY

Thursday, January 25 at 7:00 PM | Hybrid Event | JCRES

What if there was a battery solution at half the cost of lithium?

Sam Gage, PhD, formerly with NREL and now at Energetics Clean Energy Consulting, joins our JeffCo chapter for a look at thermal energy storage technologies, which can store energy for hours, days, or even months, at any scale. Sam will also fill us in on what the future holds for this promising industry.

RSVP HERE

COLORADO ENVIRONMENTAL FILM FESTIVAL

February 22-25, 2024, Golden

The Colorado Environmental Film Festival (CEFF) is an exciting, inspiring, and energizing event that includes world-class environmental films with representatives from local and national organizations. CEFF screens feature-length and short films by foreign, local, and young filmmakers. True to the spirit of Colorado, this event is supported and attended by people who value the natural world and share a passion for the power and beauty of film.

More information here

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