Boulder unveils healthy‑buildings road map; staff recommend phased building‑performance standards and end‑of‑life electrification

Boulder staff and technical consultants presented a draft “Healthy Buildings, Stronger Community” road map that lays out a 10‑year strategy to reduce building greenhouse‑gas emissions, improve indoor health and build resilience.

Jonathan Cohen, the city’s director of climate initiatives, described the road map as “to guide our strategies over the next decade and really beyond,” and said the presentation combined long‑running local programs with a set of potential next steps developed from technical modeling and community engagement.

The technical analysis prepared by ARUP and summarized to council found buildings account for roughly two‑thirds of community greenhouse‑gas emissions, with commercial and industrial buildings contributing about half of city emissions. ARUP modeled packages of energy‑conservation measures and equipment replacements and concluded electrification is technically achievable; an illustrative capital estimate the consultants discussed was about $4.5 billion to implement a near‑complete electrification pathway across the city’s building stock. Consultants and staff emphasized that figure represents an approximate, citywide capital estimate and does not mean the city itself would be expected to pay that amount or that it would be spent in a single year.

Ben Brannan of ARUP said the technical work shows “it is, of course, very achievable of a goal from a technical standpoint. We know how…