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Colorado
Utility Energy Efficiency Programs
Updated: SEPTEMBER 2011
Overview
Colorado has seen a population
growth rate of 1.7% per year on average from 2000-2010.
The energy consumption growth rate has been 0.31% per
year on average from 2006-2010. Meanwhile, the energy
expenditures per capita is $4,002, which is ranked 44th
among all US states.
The state is served by two investor-owned utilities: Xcel Energy and Black
Hills Energy. Xcel is the largest electric utility in the state, providing 55%
of Colorado's electricity to more than 1.3 million customers. Black Hills Energy
(formerly Aquila) provides 4% of the electricity load in the state with about
92,000 customers in 21 communities, including Canon City, Pueblo, Rocky Ford and
Florence. Twenty-six rural electric associations and twenty-nine municipal
utilities handle the remaining electric customers in Colorado. Natural gas is
provided by Xcel Energy, Colorado Natural Gas, Eastern Colorado Utility Company,
and Source Gas along with six municipal utilities.
Below is an update on the energy efficiency programs in Colorado, with links
to utility websites:
- Electricity Demand-Side Management
- Natural Gas Demand-Side Management
(scroll down to view the details)
Electricity Demand-Side Management
Xcel Energy
Xcel Energy is Colorado’s largest
utility serving over 1.3 million electric and gas
customers. Xcel is spending about $85 million per year
on its demand-side management programs as of 2011.
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Business Energy Efficiency Rebate
Programs
Xcel Energy offers a variety of rebate
programs to its Colorado commercial and
industrial customers including
incentives for energy-efficient new
construction, motors, lighting,
compressed air, heating and cooling, and
custom energy efficiency projects.
In conjunction with these
prescriptive and custom rebate programs,
Xcel also offers design assistance and
recommissioning support for its business
customers.
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Residential Energy Efficiency Programs
Xcel Energy’s residential customers are
eligible for rebates if they purchase
energy-efficient heating and cooling
equipment, home weatherization measures
such as insulation, high efficiency
water heaters and showerheads, and
evaporative coolers. Incentives are
provided for recycling old
refrigerators, and the utility provides
discounts on CFLs.
In addition, Xcel provides
incentives to builders who construct
ENERGY STAR new homes.
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Altogether Xcel offers
nearly thirty kinds of rebate programs
for energy conservation. Information
about each of these rebates can be
accessed through a single web page which
provides a
complete list of Xcel’s Business and
Residential Rebates.
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Colorado Springs Utilities
Colorado Springs Utilities is the
second largest electricity service provider in Colorado,
serving more than 550,000 customers.
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Residential Energy Efficiency Rebate
Program
Colorado Springs Utilities offers a
variety of energy efficiency incentives
to its residential customers through
their Residential Rebate Program.
Rebates are offered for insulation, air
sealing measures, furnaces, windows,
lighting, programmable thermostats,
clothes washers, and dual-flush toilets.
Rebates range from $15 to $150,
depending on the initial cost of the
improvement.
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Commercial Energy Efficiency Rebate
Program
Colorado Springs Utilities offers a
number of rebates for its business
customers.
These rebates include a builder
incentive program, irrigation rebate,
lighting rebates, peak demand rebate,
prescriptive rebates, restroom rebates,
and window rebates.
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BLACK hILLS ENERGY
Black Hills Energy serves about
95,000 customers in the Pueblo area. Black Hills offers
a variety of
energy efficiency rebates for both residential and
business customers:
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Residential
efficiency programs include a High
Efficiency Cooling Program, High
Efficiency Lighting,
Refrigerator/Freezer Pickup Program, and
Residential New Construction Program for
Builders.
The incentives start at $50 and
go to $400 for upgrading your heat pump
or air conditioner.
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Programs for commercial and industrial
customers include a Commissioning
Program, Custom Rebate Program, a New
Construction & LEED Green Buildings
Program, and a Prescriptive Rebate
Program. Custom rebates include high
efficiency chillers, HVAC equipment, and
refrigeration.
Delta Montrose Electric Association was recently recognized by the Governor
of Colorado as a leader among rural electric co-ops in the state for its
innovative new energy efficiency programs.
- Geothermal Loop Tariff
DMEA's new geothermal loop tariff, through which the co-op installs, owns,
and maintains the loop component of a residential geothermal system.
Combined with the rebate from Tri-State for geothermal heating and cooling
and a new federal tax credit of up to $2,000 for home geothermal systems,
the upfront cost of these environmentally-friendly systems has been
substantially reduced, providing much lower heating and cooling bills than
through conventional systems to co-op members.
- Water Heater Rebates
DMEA offers a $150 rebate on highly efficient electric water heaters with
lifetime warranties only. The co-op will provide an additional $25 rebate if
members purchase a timer with their new lifetime warranty water heater.
- Solar Rebates
In partnership with the Governor's Energy Office and the Colorado Solar
Energy Industries Association, DMEA offers rebates for installation of solar
energy systems. With a combination of the rebates and tax credits, Colorado
home and business owners can save 50-55% on solar hot water or PV
installations. In addition to these savings, these systems can save anywhere
from $250-500 per year in energy cost.
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Fort Collins Utilities
Fort Collins Utilities, the City of Fort Collins municipal utility, offers
residential and commercial customers a variety of opportunities to save
energy. See list of programs below:
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Residential Programs
The ZILCH (Zero-Interest Loans for Conservation Help) program offers
interest-free loans of up to $2,300 to homeowners who want to save energy
and/or water by adding insulation, replacing a furnace, repairing or
replacing leaking water lines, or removing old wood stoves. The utility also
offers weatherization services for income-qualified customers through its
REACH (Residential Energy Assistance through Community Help) program.
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Business Electric Efficiency Program
The Electric Efficiency Program (EEP) is designed to support building
efficiency improvements, save money and lower electric bills. Cash
incentives are provided for upgrades that reduce electric demand and energy
use, including, central plant upgrades; motor replacements; variable
frequency drive applications; process or mechanical equipment upgrades;
building envelope improvements; and custom projects. Incentives must be
approved before the project starts and are available until funds are
expended to all Fort Collins Utilities commercial electric customers. Pre-
and post-project measurements to verify existing conditions and projected
savings may be required.
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Integrated Design Assistance Program (IDAP)
IDAP helps owners, designers and contractors deliver high-performance
buildings that are more energy efficient than required by the city's
building code. Two IDAP options are available:
1. The Whole Building Approach is for projects that apply prior to
completion of schematic design. IDAP will help with design-phase costs, such
as daylighting and/or energy-efficiency consultants, and favors projects
that prioritize energy efficiency early in the design process, and
2. The Prescriptive Approach encourages the use of more
energy-efficient systems and building integration, and offers incentives for
the selection of pre-specified energy-efficient equipment.
To participate, the project shall obtain the services of a qualified
commissioning agent, whose responsibilities shall include, at a minimum,
developing a commissioning plan, performing functional performance testing,
and completing a commissioning report. The commissioning scope shall cover,
at a minimum, all heating, ventilating, air conditioning and lighting
systems and associated controls.
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Refrigerator and Freezer Recycling Program
Fort Collins Utilities electric residential and commercial customers are
eligible for this program. Customers may recycle up to two refrigerators or
freezers per account, as long as the unit is in working condition and is
between 10 and 27 cubic feet in size. For participating, each customer
receives a one-time $35 electricity bill credit.
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Platte River Power Authority
The Platte River Power Authority provides electricity to its four member
communities through their municipal utilities, including Estes Park Light and
Power, Fort Collins Utilities, Longmont Power and Communications, and Loveland
Water and Power Department. The programs described below are generally available
for all customers served by these four utilities.
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The Electric Efficiency Program (EEP)
EEP provides incentives for commercial customers to upgrade to more
energy-efficient equipment. Incentives are based on the project electric
energy or demand savings, the project cost, and the annual electric savings.
Customers may receive incentives for any energy efficiency measure as long
as it produces verifiable energy savings or summer demand reduction;
achieves savings due to installation of more efficient equipment or systems;
and has a minimum useful life of ten years. Measures may be installed in
either new construction or in retrofit applications.
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Cooling Rebate Program
This program offers cash rebates to commercial electric rate customers for
upgrading to energy-efficient cooling equipment. Rebates are available for
new and replacement equipment that are split system, single package central
air conditioners or heat pumps, or packaged terminal air conditioners or
heat pumps. Equipment must be powered by three-phase electricity, and meet
minimum efficiency ratings.
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Lighten Up
This program provides rebates to commercial and industrial customers to
retrofit facilities with new, energy-efficient lighting technologies. The
maximum incentive available is $100,000 per customer per year. Funding
beyond this maximum may be available on a case-by-case basis.
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This electric cooperative has developed a voluntary carbon reduction strategy
designed to slow the growth of carbon dioxide emissions created in the
generation of electricity used by its customers. To that end, it provides
customers cash rebates for energy efficiency and energy conservation activities
efforts.
- Commercial and Industrial Grant Program
Holy Cross's commercial and industrial consumers may apply for a grant of up
to 20% of their previous 12 month billing, up to a maximum of $10,000, for
energy efficiency and/or conservation measures. The grant may be used for 1)
up to one-half the cost of a professional, engineering grade energy use
evaluation of the consumer's facilities, as long as the consumer agrees to
spend an amount equal to the grant on labor, equipment and/or materials to
implement energy saving measures identified by the energy evaluation within
12 months of the evaluation, or 2) up to one-half the cost of actual labor,
equipment and/or material costs to install energy saving measures identified
by an energy use evaluation, the consumer's staff, and/or by Holy Cross
personnel.
- Appliance Rebate
This program provides cash rebates for customers who purchase eligible
ENERGY STAR® and other energy-efficient appliances for their home. The list
of qualifying equipment includes refrigerators, dishwashers, clothes
washers, compact fluorescent light bulbs, programmable thermostats, and
conventional electric water heaters.
- Energy Audits
The cooperative also offers residential energy audits at no cost to the
consumer. The energy use of the house will be examined during the audit, and
one standard compact fluorescent bulb will be installed in a fixture of the
consumer's choice and an insulating water heater blanket will be installed
on the customer's water heater at no cost.
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Longmont Power is offering its residential and commercial customers rebates
for the purchase of ENERGY STAR-rated clothes washers and dishwashers. Purchases
of these appliances are eligible for a $50 rebate. Residential customers can
apply for one rebate per appliance, while commercial customers can apply for
three rebates per appliance.
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Mountain View Electric Association (MVEA)
Mountain View Electric Association, Inc. (MVEA) and Tri-State Generation and
Transmission Association Inc., MVEA's power supplier, will pay credits to MVEA
residential customers who install selected electrical heating systems and/or
selected electrical appliances. Rebates are available for water heaters, heat
pumps, air conditioners, and motors that meet certain performance requirements.
For details,
click here.
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2009, Poudre Valley REA will offer incentives for solar electric and wind
turbine installations intended to provide electricity to a home. This program
provides a limited number of rebates, up to $9,000, for residential customers
who install solar PV panels or wind turbines.
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United Power offers its residential customers an energy efficiency rebate
program for qualified water heaters, heat pumps, motors, electric thermal
storage, and ENERGY STAR appliances. It also offers solar energy and
refrigerator recycling incentives.
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Natural Gas Demand-Side Management
Xcel Energy
Xcel offers rebates of up to $120 for energy-efficient
gas furnaces and boilers, and up to $100 for gas water
heaters. It also offers up to $300 insulation rebate,
which further increases home heating energy savings. For
more information, visit Xcel’s “Find
a Rebate” web page.
"Excess is Out" is the collaborative DSM program of three natural gas
providers: SourceGas, Atmos Energy, and Colorado Natural Gas. All three
companies offer a similar DSM package including:
- Home Energy Evaluation (with $100 rebate toward cost of the audit)
- Rebates of $25-$500 for purchase of energy-efficient furnace, boiler,
hot water heater, programmable thermostat, infrared heating, and other
miscellaneous measures
- Insulation rebate of 50% of cost, up to $1000
- Income-qualified assistance: Offered in conjunction with Energy Outreach
Colorado and the Governor's Energy Office, three levels of energy efficiency
assistance are available depending on income/need.
- In addition, SourceGas offers a customized cost-cutting program for
multifamily residences, very large homes, and large commercial and
industrial customers.
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