Boulder takes energy-efficiency cues from… Houston?

November 30, 2009 · Posted in Building, Energy · Comments Off 
Workers apply insulation to a wall in a Boulder home | DailyCamera.com

Workers apply insulation to a wall in a Boulder home | DailyCamera.com

Realizing that that it would be nearly impossible for Boulder to meet its greenhouse gas reduction goals without forcing landlords to make energy-efficiency upgrades to rental properties, the city is considering the best way to create such a mandate.

And Boulder is looking to other cities and towns for useful examples. Some are the usual suspects (Berkeley and Burlington), but others are not so often on the same wavelength as Boulder, including Houston and Palm Desert.

The ultimate goal is to force the upgrades — but to simultaneously create a program that would make it easy and cheap for landlords to comply.

From the Daily Camera:

Boulder is seeking a unique way of mending the debate between landlords and tenants on energy-efficiency — a single program for homeowners to meet proposed new standards.

The new energy-efficiency recommendations for rental housing have caused an uproar in Boulder, but there’s a second, private-sector arm to the city’s greenhouse gas reduction effort in residential spaces that has received less attention, and will ultimately help property owners meet whatever new standards come to pass. Read more