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Pitkin County advances climate action implementation: energy audit, microgrid and CORE funding updates
Summary
County staff previewed an energy‑audit procurement tied to a Colorado Energy Office program, updated commissioners on an operational microgrid and airport terminal planning, and heard CORE’s midyear report and a $825,550 2026 funding request.
Pitkin County commissioners received a midyear progress update Aug. 19 on implementation of the county climate action plan and related partner activity, including a county‑led facility energy audit linked to a Colorado Energy Office program and a funding request from CORE, the regional building‑efficiency nonprofit.
Michael Port, climate action analyst for Pitkin County, told the commission the county adopted a climate action plan in March and has begun implementing short-term actions across county operations and community programs. Port said the county’s battery microgrid is installed and will have microgrid controls enabled this fall to provide resilient power in outages. He identified county buildings as the single largest emissions source and said an investment‑grade facilities audit will guide priorities for electrification and retrofits.
“This is our attempt at starting to answer that question” about how to prioritize investments, Port said, describing a Colorado Energy Office (CEO) Energy Performance Contracting (EPC) pathway that combines a vendor‑grade energy audit, financing analysis and optional guaranteed‑savings contracting.
Audit and financing pathway Port described an approach in which Pitkin County would sign a memorandum of understanding with the Colorado Energy Office for technical assistance, select a prequalified EPC vendor through an RFP, and commission an investment‑grade audit this fall. The audit would produce a prioritized list of energy‑saving measures, modeled savings and a financing plan; the county would then decide whether to pursue an energy performance contract, which can pay for upgrades over time using verified energy savings and includes a two‑year measurement and verification phase.
“While the biggest thing we can do is electrify every single building in the county, there’s so many steps to that,” Port said, adding the audit will identify where county funds would achieve the best energy and emissions reductions.
Other county projects and timing Port also highlighted these items: - The county’s airport terminal, once completed, will be one of the county’s largest energy users, and terminal design teams include sustainability experts. Port said county staff will provide input into that design process. - The county has acquired an electric loader for trials and plans to transition the fleet incrementally; staff also plan to expand EV charging infrastructure downvalley (for example, at River Park Center, Basalt). - The county will further develop geothermal feasibility work and other building electrification planning in 2026.
CORE midyear update and funding request CORE (Community Office for Resource Efficiency) provided a midyear report and requested $825,550 for 2026 — a roughly 5% increase over its 2025 contract — to support its Building Performance Hub (incentives, assessments and technical assistance) and regional coordination.
Tara Stitzlein, CORE’s director of climate action programs, said CORE had been awarded roughly $780,000 from Pitkin County in 2025, of which about $500,000 was earmarked for community incentives, grants and subsidized assessments. CORE reported progress in 2025 including about 60 heat‑pump installations across CORE’s territory and an estimated 3,700 metric tons of lifetime carbon reductions from CORE‑funded projects to date. CORE said 42% of incentives issued in Pitkin County had gone to “community priority participants” (income‑qualified households and essential workers), a program CORE said it plans to expand.
John Doherty, CORE’s CEO, outlined philanthropic fundraising that has multiplied county dollars and highlighted a pending $700,000 grant tied to a Coal Basin methane reduction concept; CORE said that grant is contingent on United States Forest Service review and permitting.
Commissioners asked CORE to provide additional project breakdowns and to return to the board during the 2026 budget process to request funding. Staff said they will include the CORE funding request in the county’s October budget materials for board direction.
Ending note No county action or commitments were taken at the work session. Commissioners asked staff and CORE to return with more detailed audit and project cost estimates, to clarify how any energy performance contracting would be financed, and to provide additional detail on CORE’s incentive outcomes and the Coal Basin permit timeline.
