Denver, Colorado

City Overview

Denver, the “Mile High” city, is located at the base of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado and is the fastest growing city and county in the state, with over 700,000 residents. Denver’s existing buildings and homes account for nearly two-thirds of citywide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and to mitigate its climate impacts, Denver has committed to eliminating its GHG emissions by 2040. This includes making all new and existing buildings “Zero Emission by 2030 with Grid Scale Renewables” – which the City defines as highly efficient, all-electric, grid-flexible, and powered by 100% renewable electricity.  

 

Denver Programs, Policies, and Strategies

To support its transition to zero emissions, Denver approved a 2020 ballot initiative to create a $40-50 million annual Climate Protection Fund. Half of the funding from this fund is prioritized for communities of color, under-resourced communities, and communities most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Denver convened the Energize Denver Task Force to design a building performance policy and supporting incentives for existing buildings,  culminating in the City Council’s adoption of the groundbreaking Energize Denver policy in late 2021. The policy mandates large multifamily and commercial buildings over 25,000 square feet to achieve energy efficiency levels equivalent to the 85th percentile of Denver’s large buildings by 2030. The ordinance also requires the buildings department to update Denver’s building code in the next several cycles to require all existing multifamily and commercial buildings of any size to electrify heating and hot water systems at the time of replacement when cost-effective. For smaller buildings 5,000-24,999 square feet, the policy prescribes one-time energy upgrades to be completed between 2025 and 2027.

 
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BEI is working closely with Denver Climate Action, Sustainability, and Resiliency (CASR) staff to equitably implement Energize Denver policies, including a building electrification incentive program funded by the Climate Protection Fund that prioritizes funding and technical assistance for Denver’s “equity priority  buildings” and communities. Additionally, BEI is supporting Denver’s Healthy Homes Program, a community-driven retrofit program that will gather critical information needed to scale decarbonization retrofits in small- and mid-sized residential buildings while improving resident health and air quality. City staff from the CASR team are collaborating with staff in Denver’s Department of Housing Stability to identify opportunities to protect low- and moderate-income tenants through both programs. BEI supported this work with a combination of quantitative and qualitative research to assess housing affordability impacts from Denver’s policies. 

Regional Programs and Strategies

In 2025, BEI is advising Denver, Boulder, and Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) on the implementation of the Zero Emission Buildings Initiative, funded by the region’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grant, which invests close to $200 million in building electrification and decarbonization along the Front Range. BEI is advising and participating in a community co-creation process to design a full-service decarbonization program for low-income disadvantaged communities (LIDAC) across the region, which aims to provide free holistic home retrofits and upgrade services to at least 1,600 buildings.  

Denver’s track record of ambitious policies and major investments to under-invested communities, along with an historic level of federal investment along the Front Range, has allowed the region to meet the urgency of the moment and deliver healthier homes and cleaner air to its residents.