Boulder launches public engagement for ‘Healthy Buildings, Stronger Community’ decarbonization roadmap

City of Boulder staff told the Energy Advisory Board at its January meeting that they will begin public engagement this winter on the Healthy Buildings, Stronger Community roadmap, a planning effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from buildings and increase resilience and indoor air quality.

The roadmap is intended to inform how the city meets local emission goals for buildings and the community’s broader aim of reaching net zero. Staff said the project combines a building‑stock analysis, a scan of policy and program options, financial analysis and an engagement campaign that will include targeted interviews, roughly 20 focus groups, and a broad community questionnaire in February. Consultants named in the presentation include Trestle Strategy Group and the Institute for the Built Environment; ARUP and other technical teams supplied the building‑stock analysis.

Laurel Matory, analysis lead for the project, said the work focuses on building efficiency, electrification and air quality. “I work on energy speed and climate initiatives. I focus primarily on building efficiency, electrification, air quality,” Matory said. Crystal Wander, the city’s energy equity policy advisor, emphasized that the team will pair regulatory options with wraparound services and technical assistance for residents and property owners.

Why it matters: staff told the board buildings account for roughly two‑thirds of Boulder’s community greenhouse gas emissions (2023 inventory cited as the basis) and the city’s electric supply is assumed to be increasingly renewable over the roadmap timeline. That combination makes reducing natural gas use in buildings central to local mitigation plans; staff said the roadmap also elevates resilience and equity, including indoor air quality and the risks of rising cooling demand.

What staff outlined - Technical work: consultants completed a building stock analysis to identify building types, existing systems and likely upgrade needs. Staff said the stock includes about 47,000 residential units and a large commercial sector; space and water heating are the largest single uses of energy. - Policy options: staff presented a menu that ranges from voluntary incentives and financing to regulatory tools such as end‑of‑life replacement requirements and building performance standards. Staff noted other Colorado jurisdictions — Denver, Fort Collins and Aspen — and the state are already pursuing building performance standards. - Funding and scale: staff described a wide range of potential costs and funding sources. They said an interjurisdictional grant effort had produced $20 million in partnership funding and the city has received a $4,500,000 Department of Energy award to support an equity‑focused program. Staff gave high‑level estimates for total retrofit need in the hundreds of millions to about $1 billion over the multi‑decade transition, and said consultant work is underway to better quantify the funding gap. - Engagement and timeline: targeted stakeholder interviews began in December; staff plan focus groups and a community questionnaire in February, and a City Council study session is scheduled for May (staff identified May 22 as the anticipated council check‑in). The roadmap will be drafted after engagement and returned to the board and council for review.

Concerns and public comment Board members and public attendees raised questions about cost and distributional effects. Several people — including board member Chad and other commenters — asked how the city will avoid leaving a “gap” for moderate‑income residents who earn too much to qualify for existing low‑income assistance but cannot easily afford retrofit costs. Staff responded that the city is expanding thinking about low‑to‑moderate income support, cited tripled Xcel Energy rebates announced recently, and said the DOE award and the state partnership are intended to help close gaps. Staff also noted a legislative on‑bill repayment program is under discussion to expand accessible financing.

Workforce, contractor capacity and technical assistance were recurring themes: staff said the roadmap will consider contractor outreach, workforce development and centralized advising so property owners can navigate financing, incentives and technical options. Staff said EnergySmart and PACE remain the primary local programs for residential and commercial support; staff plan to coordinate with those programs and other partners.

Grid reliability and resilience questions arose during public comment: attendees asked how an all‑electric building future will interact with outages and planned public safety power shutoffs. Staff said the city and Xcel Energy are working on grid hardening and that long‑term investments to reduce routine outages are in progress at the utility and before the Public Utilities Commission. Staff also urged household resilience planning and noted that gas furnaces are also inoperable during long power outages, and that gas system restoration has its own complications.

Next steps and review Staff asked the board for feedback on outreach and said they will finalize the engagement plan in the coming weeks, complete community focus groups and return to the board in early May ahead of the May 22 council study session. Following public engagement and technical refinement, staff will publish a draft roadmap for additional review and then present recommendations to council, including potential ordinance changes (for example, updates to city building performance standards or point‑of‑sale requirements) if the community and technical analysis support them.

Ending City staff emphasized the roadmap is intended as an umbrella to coordinate citywide work on building efficiency, electrification, equity and resilience. The engagement phase will determine which regulatory and programmatic actions move forward; staff said they will report back to the board and council as analyses and community input are completed.