Woodland Park board tells homeowner to address insulation, electrical and safety issues before approving garage heater variance

WOODLAND PARK, Colo. — The Woodland Park Board of Review discussed a variance request May 2025 from homeowner Dennis Blevins to omit parts of the energy code and install a natural-gas heater in his attached garage, but the board took no formal vote and asked the applicants to return with a plan addressing insulation, combustion air and electrical safety.

The request sought relief from requirements in the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code as adopted by the regional building code and specific Pikes Peak Regional Building Department provisions so the Blevinses could add a natural-gas unit heater without performing the code’s heat-loss calculations or adding the full required insulation.

The request matters because the state-adopted energy code requires that when an unconditioned space is converted to conditioned space, the building must have a thermal envelope (insulated walls and ceiling) and appropriate clearances around fuel-burning equipment, officials said.

Homeowner Dennis Blevins described the project as a modest comfort upgrade: “We just wanted to heat the garage is all we wanted to do.” He said the family uses the garage for vehicle parking and occasional storage and that a natural-gas line has been present at the property since at least 2011.

John Walton, a representative of the regional building authority, told the board that existing state and regional code provisions limit variance options: “When we’re taking the unconditioned space and turning it into condition space, that’s when the energy code kicks in.” He said the code allows some trade-offs (for example, R-13 walls with an R-24 ceiling in certain circumstances) but does not permit permanently conditioned space to be left without wall or ceiling insulation.

Board members and staff identified several specific requirements the applicant would need to address before a variance could be approved. They included:

- A building thermal envelope (insulation in walls and ceiling or an approved trade-off using heat-loss calculations or modeling). Officials discussed common R-value targets cited during the hearing such as R-49 for ceilings and R-13 or R-15 for walls as comparators used in code compliance conversations.

- An ignition/thermal barrier above an exposed hot-air heater and clearance from combustible materials; staff noted 5/8-inch drywall is a typical required barrier in areas where ignition-source clearances are needed.

- Dedicated electrical work: a permanent installation would require a dedicated branch circuit and compliance with required clear working space in front of the garage’s circuit breaker panel (staff cited a 30-inch width and 36-inch deep clearance as the standard). Board members also said the gun safe currently near the panel would need to be moved to meet those clearances.

Regional staff and board members noted site conditions that complicate the applicant’s desired simple installation: the garage has open rafters with no continuous ceiling insulation and a vented ridge that would let heat escape, and the garage interior includes an existing mechanical/boiler room whose combustion air is already allocated to that system.

Board member Jeff Cahill questioned the energy and cost implications of adding a natural-gas heater to an uninsulated garage, calling the proposal “a foolish endeavor” from an efficiency perspective. Regional staff and other board members suggested temporary, non-permanent heating alternatives or insulating the ceiling (or the underside of the garage structure) as more effective approaches.

Chair MacVicar offered the applicants time to assemble a remedial plan: “If you would like, I can make this offer to you. We can reconvene in 1 month at no extra cost. You can come back with a complete plan to address the deficiencies we’ve brought up here today, and then we can consider the variance.” The board did not vote on the variance at the May hearing.

At the start of the meeting the board approved minutes from its January meeting by motion and voice vote; that procedural motion passed and was recorded as approved.

The board asked the applicants to consult with regional building staff and return with documentation that could include specific insulation measures, heat-loss calculations or modeling, a plan for required ignition/thermal barriers, and electrical work that preserves required breaker access. The board also noted the next Board of Review meeting is scheduled for June 19 and invited the applicants to appear at that or a subsequent meeting if they choose to pursue the variance.

The discussion combined technical code guidance from the regional building representative with practical concerns from board members and the applicants. No final determination or variance approval was made at the May hearing.