Boulder advisory board hears Healthy Buildings roadmap as landlords warn electrification could raise costs, confront grid limits

City of Boulder staff on June 25 presented a Healthy Buildings road‑map to the Housing Advisory Board, emphasizing the city’s 2035 net‑zero goal and a suite of policies, programs and funding options to reduce emissions and increase building resilience. The meeting included public comments from local rental‑housing representatives and small landlords who said electrification requirements would be costly and face utility grid constraints.

Carolyn Elam, senior manager for the city’s Climate Initiatives, told the board the city’s mitigation target “is to reach that neutrality point by 2035” and that buildings are the single largest local source of greenhouse gas emissions. Elam and her colleagues described a multi‑pronged approach: continued code updates, deeper rental housing standards (SmartRegs), targeted rebates and incentives, programs for manufactured homes and partnerships to help property owners access rebates and technical assistance.

The presentation identified existing programs and partnerships the city uses to support upgrades: SmartRegs (rental energy‑efficiency standards implemented in 02/2018), the Healthy Resilient Mobile Home program, a partnership with Boulder County called EnergySmart that provides a one‑stop for improvements, and work with Partners for a Clean Environment and PACE. Staff said EnergySmart and PACE…