Building Decarbonization Measures

The bill updates energy use benchmarking and performance standard requirements for owners of certain buildings (covered building owners), including:

• A requirement to meet 2040 performance standards, as adopted by the air quality control commission, in consultation with the Colorado energy office (office) and in consideration of recommendations made by a task force convened by the office;
• Authorizing an alternative compliance mechanism for covered building owners to comply with certain performance standards; and
• Aligning civil penalties owed for a violation of the benchmarking and performance standard requirements with civil penalties owed for other air quality violations.

The bill also creates a building decarbonization enterprise (enterprise) to provide financial assistance, technical assistance, and other programmatic assistance to covered building owners to effectively and efficiently implement building decarbonization measures, including energy efficiency measures, electrification measures, energy upgrades, and participation in utility on-bill repayment programs. The enterprise is authorized to impose and collect from covered building owners an annual building decarbonization fee to cover the enterprise's costs in providing the financial, technical, and programmatic assistance.

The bill exempts a local government that adopts building codes from the requirement to adopt an energy code if the local government has adopted an approved wildfire resiliency code.

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)