Garfield County approves $315,000 for Garfield Clean Energy to expand efficiency, EV and solar programs

Garfield County commissioners on Feb. 3 approved a $315,000 contribution to Garfield Clean Energy (GCE), a regional government collaborative that runs local energy-efficiency, renewable-energy and clean-transportation programs.

The funding, approved by unanimous vote, will be GCE’s 2025 membership contribution and is budgeted from BOCC grants to other governments. Commissioners said they saw the county contribution as an investment in energy cost savings and local economic resilience.

GCE’s associate director, Morgan Hill, told commissioners the collaborative focuses on practical energy upgrades for homes and businesses and on locally produced renewable energy. "We have saved the Garfield County community $2,100,000 on their energy bills total," Hill said during the presentation.

GCE described several flagship programs the county money will support: Reenergize Garfield County, a residential one-stop program that aims to help households access rebates and upgrades (including insulation, air sealing and heat-pump installs); an Advanced Energy Management program that provides 15-minute interval energy monitoring and coaching for public and commercial buildings; and EV/clean-mobility efforts that include EV-readiness planning and an e-bike distribution program.

GCE said the county contribution will not be the sole source for residential rebates this year. Hill said the organization has set aside $20,000 of the requested $315,000 specifically for direct residential rebates and that GCE had been pursuing an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) that would add additional rebate funding. She described the EECBG notice of award as conditional and noted the award has been delayed while the group finalizes subrecipient paperwork with county legal staff.

Sean Strode, mayor of Rifle and GCE board chair, and other GCE speakers emphasized the collaborative’s regional work and its emphasis on leveraging member contributions to attract additional state and federal grants. GCE said it helps households up to 150% of area median income (AMI) access rebates and that, since GCE began as a formal collaborative, it has supported measurable local projects in efficiency and solar.

Commissioners asked how much of the county payment would flow directly back in rebates; Hill said $20,000 was allocated for that purpose from the county portion with additional rebate funding expected from the conditional federal award. Commissioners also discussed economic-development and workforce benefits from energy projects.

The motion to approve the $315,000 membership contribution to Garfield Clean Energy was moved and carried; the board authorized the chair to sign the agreement.

Coming next: GCE told the board it will continue to pursue EECBG funds and other grants and is preparing subrecipient agreements so funds can be distributed promptly if/when awards are finalized.