The Colorado Energy Office has awarded a $264,100 grant to the Routt County Climate Action Plan Collaborative to create a plan to electrify and decarbonize buildings throughout the county.

The three-year grant funding was awarded to eight initiatives across the state through the federal Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program to increase staff capacity in small communities to accomplish climate action work.

The Routt County funding will enable local governments to take essential first steps toward curbing the county’s top source of greenhouse gas emissions – buildings. According to a 2018 greenhouse gas emissions study, buildings account for 54% of carbon emissions in Routt County.

The project will include assessing existing buildings throughout Routt County and conducting an inventory of energy use with the goal of cataloging and electrifying high energy-use buildings. As part of the plan’s implementation, the grant will support creation of a progress-tracking dashboard, education and outreach, and workforce development.

The Climate Action Plan’s Energy Working Group identified the need for funding for an aggressive energy and carbon-reduction program to target existing buildings, develop qualified contractors to support this work and support ongoing education.

In addition to fighting climate change by reducing carbon emissions, building electrification can reduce the public’s exposure to indoor air pollutants, reduce the chance of gas leaks and increase building comfort and quality, according to the collaborative.

Colorado Energy Office awarded a total of $1.86 million to entities across the state toward climate action projects that will benefit 25 Colorado cities and counties.

In 2021, Routt County, Steamboat Springs, Hayden, Oak Creek and Yampa formed the Routt County Climate Action Plan Collaborative. The CAP mission is “to work collaboratively to implement the Routt County Climate Action Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 35% by 2030 and 74% by 2050.”

More information is available at RouttClimateAction.com.