We just received some communications from federal banking regulators and new requirements from the Department of Energy that affect the ClimateSmart Loan Program and similar programs across the country.  One impact of the Department of Energy requirements is that the ClimateSmart Loan Program will be required to abide by new national guidelines.  In order to make sure that we are in compliance with these new guidelines, it is necessary to delay our loan application process for 60 days.  This means that our application process will be put on hold until late July. During this period, we are keeping our online application open to allow residents to continue to apply for loans.

We greatly apologize for this inconvenience, as we know you have worked hard to be able to participate in this program.  We will also be extending this message to local contractors, and would appreciate your helping us get the word out by informing your contractor(s) of this delay.

We will contact you as soon as we know how these guidelines will impact the program.  We will also continue to update our website with the latest information at ClimateSmartLoanProgram.org.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

New one-time location!
Unity Church
2855 Folsom Street, Boulder, CO 80304

Time: 6:30-7:00 Social Hour
7:00-8:30pm Presentation

This presentation is a unique and timely opportunity to learn about the process and options that cities face when negotiating with large-scale energy providers. With franchise renewal set for summer of 2010, Boulder is in the process of negotiating an energy supply commitment with Xcel Energy. Come and become informed about how cities do long-term energy planning, about the time commitment considerations for Boulder’s next franchise agreement, and about options for choice in Boulder’s energy sources. Ms. Perkins will focus on the inherent responsibility of Colorado cities to provide energy as a vital service and to respond to the moral, financial and social imperatives associated with carbon emissions.

About the speaker

Susan Perkins has spent 34 years as an energy lawyer with an exclusive focus for four years on sustainable and renewable energy. Representing distributed solar and utility-scale solar and wind clients, participating in energy policy dockets at the Public Utilities Commission, and representing cities in the negotiation of their franchise agreements, Ms. Perkins is a strong advocate for systemic thinking and long-range planning for energy policy.

ATTORNEYS PLEASE NOTE: An application will be filed at the Colorado Supreme Court for 1.0 hour of Continuing Legal Education Credit (CLE) for this program.

For more information, contact Andy Lenec or visit
www.cleanenergyaction.org
Copyright© 2009 Clean Energy Action

Community Open House
On Monday, Nov. 16 or Wednesday, Nov. 18
at the West Boulder Senior Center
909 Arapahoe ave., Creekside Room
from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m.

To learn more about potential changes, visit the city of Boulder’s website.

Interested in participating in Boulder County’s ClimateSmart Loan program to fund energy efficiency improvements to your home?  The County is gearing-up for its second round of loans, with mandatory homeowner workshops running from July 28th through September 1st throughout Boulder County.  You can learn more about the upcoming workshops or the ClimateSmart Loan program by visiting Boulder County’s ClimateSmart Loan Program here or by visiting the Center for Resource Conservation here.

Populus is a Boulder-based, full-service sustainable design consulting firm that focuses on high performance, net-zero and near-net-zero custom residential and multi-family projects.  Populus is your partner in high-performance design solutions, specializing in energy efficiency codes, green building certifications and LEED for Homes™ training.  Contact Populus at news@popboulder.com.

Logan and Neiger Address Energy Efficiency of Existing Buildings

According to Yael Gichon and Ruth McHeyser at the City of Boulder, initial proposals to address residential energy efficiency will likely take the form of new efficiency requirements tied to rental permit applications, but will not include a broad-based Residential Energy Conservation Ordinance.  Based on the progress made by the City of Boulder so far, it is likely that the energy efficiency measures could be considered by City Council by the end of the year.  On the commercial front, the City of Boulder is still in an initial information-gathering phase.

The City of Boulder is expected to announce upcoming opportunities for public comment regarding residential energy conservation measures.  We’ll keep you updated of any developments through the Populus blog.

Populus is a Boulder-based, full-service sustainable design consulting firm that focuses on high performance, net-zero and near-net-zero custom residential and multi-family projects.  Populus is your partner in high-performance design solutions, specializing in energy efficiency codes, green building certifications and LEED for Homes™ training.  Contact Populus at news@popboulder.com.

The RECO and CECO are critical parts of the City of Boulder’s Climate Action Program. To date, work on them has been slow, but now the pace is accelerating. The panel will explain the status of the work and the prospects for passage of RECO and CECO by the City Council in the near future.

Panelists:

Yael Gichon, Staff member of the City of Boulder’s Environmental Affairs Department

Jim Logan, Chair of the Climate Action Network’s (“CAN”) CECO committee

Ruth McHeyser, Director of the City of Boulder’s Department of Planning and Building Services

Dave Neiger, Chair of the Climate Action Network’s RECO committee