As central administrator for Boulder County’s Residential Better Buildings program, Populus plans to release a competitive Request for Proposal (“RFP”) to recruit independent auditors into the program’s auditor pool.  The RFP will contain a detailed scope of work outlining what will be expected of auditors in terms of data collection and testing.  The program goal is to create a targeted audit that can be completed in two hours and provide Populus with the critical data points needed to move homeowners to action.

We anticipate that the RFP will be released by December 1, 2010.  If you attended the auditor recruitment event at Boulder County last Thursday, you will be on the email distribution list for the RFP.  In addition, the RFP will be distributed through various local trade associations.  If you wish to be added to the RFP distribution list, please email info@popboulder.com and we will add you to the list.

Insanely good rebates for commercial property owners – now is the time to make efficiency upgrades.  From Boulder County:

The ClimateSmart Loan Program has $12 million of energy efficiency and renewable energy financing available to commercial property owners (including non-profit entities) through July 12, 2010.  The five to ten year loans provide an extended payback period and apply to the properties they benefit rather than the borrower.

Now, a new countywide stimulus funded program, EnergySmart@Work, is offering REBATE incentives to all loan funded projects.  Rebates will be available for up to 70% of the cost of the project with a cap of $10,000. Find out more by contacting EnergySmart@Work at 303-441-1300.

Register now for Populus’ Energy Design Workshop sponsored by Boulder County.

Want to demystify Home Energy Rating?  This Energy Design Workshop gives architects and builders real world experience working with an energy rater to design buildings that achieve above-code home energy performance within a budget.  The workshop includes an introduction to the Home Energy Rating System (“HERS”), the performance pathway for Boulder County’s BuildSmart code, including a behind-the-scenes look at how home energy modeling works to create a “miles per gallon” rating for a home.

Following the presentation, workshop participants break into smaller groups and work with a home energy rater to upgrade a code-level home to achieve varying levels of above-code home performance. The workshop gives participants the opportunity to analyze the costs and benefits of energy efficiency improvements and demonstrates how home energy modeling can be used as a design tool to design and build more energy efficient homes.

Workshop will be led by David Neiger.  With a degree in architecture and a background in construction, David has provided energy analysis and consulting to architects, builders and developers throughout the West on hundreds of residential projects, including many high-performance, net-zero energy and LEED certified homes.  David is a RESNET Home Energy Rater and Quality Assurance Designee, a LEED for Homes AP and Green Rater and a BPI Building Analyst.

When:              Tuesday, June 15, 2010, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

Where:             Boulder County Courthouse Annex, Caribou Room, 2045 13^th Street, Boulder, CO

RSVP:              Contact Populus at laura@popboulder.com or 303-325-7650

Cost:                $25

Pay with credit card by phone at 303-325-7650 or mail checks by June 10^th to:

Populus, LLC

1727 15^th Street, Suite 200

Boulder, CO 80302

Continuing Education for Architects: Under the State of Colorado’s rules for continuing education for state licensure renewal, this program meets the requirements for 3.0 HSW professional development units (HSW) – self reporting required.

ClimateSmart Loan Program delayed – just in from Boulder County:

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.

Want your home on the CRC’s Boulder County Solar Tour?  The application deadline is May 17th.  Download the application: 2010 CRC Boulder County Solar Home Tour Application.