October 2025

Greetings,

Thanks to those who were able to join us at one of our fall events: the inaugural Sun Day, where we participated with many others in celebrating solar energy, the Ark Valley Green Homes Tour in Salida, or the 30th Annual Metro Denver Green Homes Tour.

Federal tax credits for home improvements end at the close of this year so if you are interested, now is the time! See below for the new one-stop portal to help you learn what incentives or rebates your project may qualify for.

Happy Fall!

Sunny regards,

Rebecca Cantwell

for New Energy Colorado

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30th Annual Metro Denver Green Homes Tour

This year's 30th anniversary Metro Denver Green Homes Tour featured 11 homes stretching from Louisville to south Lakewood.

In the home above, sunshine supplies both electricity and hot water to the home. The owner above points out the renewable energy features in the basement mechanical room.

The tour featured both new houses, some not even completed, as well as older homes that have been retrofitted to save energy and water.

This 1941 home has been retrofitted to be a zero net-energy and zero carbon home. It shows that an older home can be made highly efficient with the right upgrades.

After the home tour, visitors were able to visit with owners of a variety of electric vehicles to learn all the benefits of ditching the gas station.

This new home replaces a poorly built home, with much of the material salvaged. It features extensive insulation and an Energy Recovery Ventilator to circulate filtered fresh air.

This home in Arvada's Geos neighborhood has no gas connection and essentially no electric bill, It was built with passive solar construction in 2019 and is heated and cooled with a ground source heat pump, along with a 7.68 kW solar PV system and a heat pump hot water heater.

Located in south Golden, this home will meet Passive House Institute Certification when finished, marking it as super efficient.

It features highly efficient windows to optimize the winter solar gain, as well as a variety of other efficienicy features.

This 1995 Lakewood home has been transformed to a highly energy efficient home with a heat pump water heater, a cold climate heat pump, a rooftop solar PV system and an induction cooktop.

This older home features a new bridge between the home and garage that covers a lovely patio space.

The garage of this 1953 bungalow has been transformed to an office which is heated and cooled with an air-source heat pump. The main house features a 10kW rooftop solar PV system with two 13.5KWh batteries to provide electricity for an EV and two electric bikes.

Colorado's New Energy Code will

Encourage Electrification of Buildings

Colorado recently published a new Model Low Energy and Carbon Code to provide guidelines for building more efficient buildings.

For the first time, the code will fairly credit energy savings from highly efficient electric heating and water heating. Thus, it will encourage electrification by making that option often the most cost effective. But it drops renewable energy requirements for commercial buildings, making renewable energy voluntary.

Required by a 2022 law, the code will become the state’s minimum requirement next July and any local government updating building codes after that will need to adopt the code or something similar.

By improving efficiency and reducing energy consumption in new homes and commercial buildings, homeowners will be able to save money. Indoor air quality will be improved through better ventilation, sealing air leaks, and encouraging electrification.

“By focusing on affordable pathways to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas pollution, this code is a smart step forward in Colorado’s work to decarbonize the building sector without putting excessive burdens on developers and design teams,'' said CEO Executive Director Will Toor.

Read provisions of the new code here: Final Model Low Energy and Carbon Code - Published - Google Drive

EV Tax Credits Rise, Others End December 31

While federal tax credits for electric vehicles ended last month, Colorado has boosted its incentives to help low and moderate income residents buy electric vehicles.

Meanwhile, other federal clean energy tax credits for homeowners expire at the end of the year, so now is the time to invest in a heat pump, insulation or other improvements to take advantage of the credits.

Starting Nov. 3, rebates through the Vehicle Exchange Colorado (VXC) program, will increase from $6,000 to $9,000 for new EV purchases and leases and $4,000 to $6,000 for used EV purchases and leases.

VXC rebates are available for income-qualified Coloradans exchanging a qualified old or high-emitting vehicle to purchase or lease an EV, which includes both battery electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. The Community Access Enterprise has approved $25.6 million in funding to support this program over the first three years.

The electric vehicles will soon have a more robust charging network. Colorado has received federal approval for the final $12 million of its $56.5 million in funding from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Program. To date, Colorado has already awarded nearly $25.6 million in NEVI funding to support 246 fast-charging ports along major transportation routes across the state. Securing the last of this federal funding will help Colorado continue to build out a robust network of fast-chargers as EV registrations in the state surpass 200,000.

Meanwhile, even as federal clean energy tax credits end, other programs from utilities and state and local governments will help consumers make energy improvements.

To help consumers understand what programs are available, state leaders have launched the Colorado Energy Savings Navigator (CESN), a new, easy-to-use digital tool that connects Coloradans to more than 600 energy rebates and 18 different energy bill assistance programs. The tool is designed to be a one-stop shop to help consumers access programs that allow them to save money and reduce energy bills..