SFS Projects and Best Practices

Rebuild Colorado Promotes Efficieny Building Retrofits

By Judy Farrell, WAPA "Energy Services Bulletin"

A state program in Colorado demonstrates the range of approaches that can be used under the U.S. Department of Energy´s Rebuild America program. Rebuild Colorado is operated by the Governor's Office of Energy Management and Conservation, operating as a state affiliate of the Rebuild America program. It targets the state's existing institutional and commercial buildings as well as multifamily housing structures.

Performance Contracting

The Rebuild Colorado program focuses on energy performance contracting. Program Manager Linda Smith explained that the program features a two-stage approach:

• Educating customers about the potential opportunities of performance contracting; and,
  
  
• Providing free services to help organizations identify opportunities, select an energy service company, and develop an effective performance contract.
  
  

Rebuild Colorado provides assistance to city and county governments, school districts, state agencies and universities, community colleges, hospitals, and multifamily residential facilities. Smith said the program targets any organization that might fit within the scope of a performance contract.

Even before joining Rebuild America, the Governor's Office of Energy Conservation was performing similar services for state agencies and universities. As a result, the office started Rebuild Colorado with a list of "lessons learned" that shaped the program's form and functions.

Under the program, an expert visits the facility requesting assistance and gives a presentation about performance contracting, explaining what it is, how it could help solve their problems, and ways to intermesh it with current operations.

Next, an energy engineering consultant conducts a pre-feasibility assessment and develops a list of recommendations, a rough cost, and an estimate of savings.

Customer Education

"This helps put customers in the driver's seat," Smith explained. "Our customers are very knowledgeable of what to expect and what to ask for before they even start working with the energy services company."

Before the program, Smith noted, there was little performance contracting activity in Colorado. That was surprising, since the state is home to a number of energy services companies that were competing for jobs in California and the Northeast, while a need existed locally for their services. Linking the energy services companies to facilities needing their services in Colorado "seemed to be a perfect match," Smith said.

So far, 58 entities have tapped Rebuild Colorado's resources. Smith said requests have come from every part of the state, including the southeast, the far Eastern plains, the Western slope, and the metro Denver area. These efforts have led to the offset of $8 million in capital investment to date by using utility budgets to pay instead.

Smith said Rebuild Colorado receives funding from the national program. So far, it hasn't taken advantage of the other services offered, but Smith said that could change.

Although no utilities currently participate in the program, Smith believes they have a role to play. "We would definitely be open to that, and would embrace it fully," she said. "We're looking at ways to sustain these energy-efficiency efforts without our involvement. Utilities could be the key."

Customer education includes hands-on energy analysis for many in the Rebuild Colorado program.
Photo courtesy of WAPA