Morgan Hill, associate director for Clean Energy Economy for the Region (CLEAR), which operates Garfield Clean Energy (GCE), told commissioners Aug. 19 that GCE's collaborative model leverages county and municipal membership to secure outside grants and deliver countywide services.

Hill highlighted the Reenergize program for moderate- and low-income households (up to 150% of area median income), saying GCE has allocated roughly $380,000 in energy-rebate-like incentives to Garfield County residents since 2022 and estimates about $126,000 in annual energy-bill savings for participating households. GCE also helps homeowners access state and federal rebates and offers direct-install "light" measures for households where full retrofits are not feasible.

On municipal and institutional services, Hill said GCE tracks utility data for county facilities and provides Advanced Energy Management (AEM) services that can yield significant savings. She said GCE reported a 5% cost savings across GCE partner energy bills in 2024 versus 2023 and that five Garfield County facilities are using 15-minute interval utility data for monitoring.

Other highlights included local solar support (nearly 28 MW of solar capacity supported across institutions and community gardens over GCE's existence), commercial energy coaching, bike and e-bike programs for mobility, and clean-energy workforce training such as heat-pump installer workshops.

Hill asked the county to continue membership and to coordinate with the county facilities director on energy-management opportunities for public buildings. Commissioners asked for facility-specific savings data and welcomed follow-up coordination.