April 20, 2022 – Earth Day is an opportunity to reflect on how we can live more harmoniously with our wonderful planet. And of all the things we can do to repair that relationship, there is none more important than shifting how we use and produce energy.
As we approach Earth Day, we’d like to update you on some successes in our region’s transition to a clean energy economy, as well as some new initiatives you can get involved in. Read on, and please join us!
New ReEnergize program helps low- and moderate-income households
Garfield Clean Energy – the collaborative developed and managed by CLEER – is making waves with a new program to help low- and moderate-income households lower their utility bills and make their homes healthier and more comfortable.
ReEnergize Garfield County launched in February with $150,000 from the county to give out in rebates in 2022. The funding enables ReEnergize to extend benefits to higher-earners who haven’t previously qualified, as well as to fill gaps in existing programs for low-income households. The program is clearly meeting a need, because 90 households have already enrolled. Learn more here.
Coming soon: Garfield Energy Action Plan
CLEER and Garfield Clean Energy are working with Xcel Energy’s Partners in Energy program to update the 2017 Garfield County Energy Action Plan. We’re excited to roll up our sleeves on this project, which will update GCE goals and strategies for advancing renewables and efficiency.
We’re looking for community members to participate in the energy planning team, which entails attending three facilitated workshops starting on May 11. Interested? Contact Christina Matzl.
Moving forward on solar and storage
Late last year we released a groundbreaking study on how to maximize solar and storage development in our tri-county region, rather than relying on electricity imported from large-scale projects elsewhere.
The meat of the report was in its detailed list of recommended action steps, and this year we’re moving forward on a half-dozen tasks: annual data collection; a utility forum on grid improvement projects; a marquee solar project; workforce training; a building codes webinar; and local solar tax research.
Interested in installing solar at your home or business? Contact us for free advice.
EVs: a matter of supply and demand
What a time to be alive, when demand for electric vehicles is surging but supply chains can’t keep up! Given these realities, our strategy is to keep keep stoking interest in EVs but to encourage buyers to hold off till next year, meanwhile beefing up our local charging network as quickly as possible.
Attendance at our Experience Electric ride-and-drive in Rifle last December – the first in-person event since the pandemic – indicates the amount of pent-up demand in our region.
A shout-out to our Allies
Business sponsorships provide much-needed support to expand CLEER’s work accelerating the adoption of clean energy in western Colorado. The CLEER Allies program enables corporations, organizations and philanthropists to partner with us in this work and achieve greater impact. We want to send a huge thank-you to our fabulous CLEER Allies. Click here to learn more about the CLEER Allies program.
