Englewood sustainability commission backs applying for regional energy grant to fund electrification, code support

The Englewood City Sustainability Commission discussed staff plans to seek council approval to apply for a regional grant that staff said is due Oct. 31 and requires council sign‑off because the award would exceed $100,000.

Commission members were told the city is working with Sheridan to apply jointly to the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG). Staff said the proposal would fund multiple items over four years, including contracting a third party for energy‑code compliance and plan review, staff training and a funded position described in the meeting as a building‑electrification specialist to provide outreach, education and technical assistance for residential, commercial and municipal projects.

"We have the grant due on October 31. Staff is going on the twentieth. We have to get council approval to apply because it's a grant over a $100,000," a staff member said. The staff member said the grant requires no local match but that council approval is required for any application over the $100,000 threshold.

According to staff, the proposal would fund a position for four years; the job description would note that the position is not guaranteed beyond the funded term. "We do have in the job description that nothing is guaranteed after the 4 years," the presenter said. The presenter added the grant funds would cover the position's benefits.

The commission heard that the electrification specialist would be a front‑facing resource for the community and a technical resource for building‑department staff when energy‑code questions arise. Staff also described funding for conference attendance and trainings and for contracting a third party to perform more rigorous plan review on energy matters so that energy issues are not "breezed over." The presenter said the city expects the work to also support the community‑facing Green Business Program.

Commissioners asked for clarification about where the funded position would be housed. "Is the electrification position housed within the sustainability division and not public works?" one commissioner asked. Staff confirmed the position would be within the sustainability division.

Staff also described setting aside funds to explore a Home Energy Rating System (HERS) or similar home‑energy scoring approach, noting communities sometimes adopt a voluntary or point‑of‑sale informational score. Staff said HERS and other scoring systems exist (for example, the Department of Energy Home Energy Score), that scoring approaches differ and that some communities combine multiple scoring options and convert them to a simple letter grade for consumers.

Staff warned that some cost estimates discussed during the meeting (for example, possible inspection fees) were approximate. "I could don't quote me on those," the presenter said when discussing potential inspection costs.

Next steps identified in the meeting: staff will seek council approval to submit the DRCOG application and will continue coordinating with Sheridan and DRCOG on specific program elements and budgets. The presenter said the city expects to know whether the full package would total roughly $600,000 and that much of the proposed work would be enabled by partnering with Sheridan.

Because the item described an application rather than an awarded contract or adopted policy, commissioners limited discussion to the proposal and requested additional detail for council, including clear budget line items and confirmation of how a funded position would be sustained after the grant term if the city wished to continue it.