Laura Snider

Boulder’s proposed rental rules would cut 45,000 tons of carbon

April 20, 2010 · Posted by in Building, Energy 

Boulder is getting tough on rentals.

In its bid to actually meet the carbon-cutting goals laid out by the Kyoto Protocol (to 7 percent below 1990 levels by 2012) the city has realized that it has to find some way to make landlords step up to the energy-efficiency plate.

The problem is the “split incentive.” Why pay to upgrade a rental unit when you’re not footing the monthly energy bill?

And in a university town like Boulder, where rentals make up more than 50 percent of the housing stock, getting landlords on board is key.

This week, the city unveiled a proposed set of point-based rules for a program it calls “SmartRegs.”

From the Daily Camera:

Under the program, landlords would be required to make improvements that could include installing energy-efficient appliances, sealing ducts or better insulating.

The city’s overall goal is to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions coming from homes by 94,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide by 2012. The SmartRegs program, it’s estimated, could make up about 45,000 tons of that goal.

If approved, rental properties would be required to achieve 100 “points” — including two points of mandatory water conservation — based on a lengthy list of possible improvements.

Read the full story at DailyCamera.com.

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One Response to “Boulder’s proposed rental rules would cut 45,000 tons of carbon”

  1. GabeMc on April 27th, 2010 9:05 pm

    Tantra Lake apartments does not even have insulation in the outside walls of it's townhomes.