Energize Denver legislation was enacted in November 2022 and is the result of a city-wide effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and outlines the City and County of Denver’s 2030 energy performance targets.

Burning fossil fuels for energy in commercial and multi-family buildings produces 49% of greenhouse gas emissions in Denver. This energy efficiency program requires building owners to collect and report on energy-use benchmarking data and comply with rules regarding performance standards related to energy and greenhouse gas emissions.

Even as we clean up our electric grid with increasingly renewable power, carbon emissions and air pollution remain from burning fossil fuels directly in buildings. We burn those fuels—fossil gas, propane, and fuel oil—largely to heat spaces in winter and to heat water year-round, contributing to climate change, poor equity outcomes and polluting both our indoor and outdoor air quality. In addition, buildings still waste far more energy than they need to, leading to higher energy bills for everyone.

By making Denver’s buildings more energy-efficient and replacing polluting gas appliances with clean electric alternatives, we can improve air quality and safety in our community, lower energy bills, use local clean energy resources which creates new jobs, and help to stave off the worst impacts of climate change.

You can check your building’s compliance status by visiting energizedenver.org. Please note that your building may not appear on the map, as the map does not yet include all buildings. Please contact LeafComply and we’re happy to determine if your building is compliant free of charge.

For buildings greater than 25,000 square feet, a target penalty level assessed if the building does not reach the 2024 Interim Target, 2027 Interim Target, or 2030 Target during the applicable performance period.

For buildings between 5,000 and 24,999 square feet, if no compliance action is taken, the property owner will be fined at $1.60 per square foot of a building’s gross floor area.

Compliance deadlines depend on the square footage of your building:

25,000 square feet +:

15,001 - 24,999 square feet: December 31, 2025

10,001 - 15,000 square feet: December 31, 2026

5,000 - 10,000 square feet: December 31, 2027

Benchmarking refers to the measuring of a building’s energy performance using the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager® tool. Buildings larger than 25,000 square feet are required to submit benchmarking data each year.

The Office of Climate Action, Sustainability & Resiliency (CASR) serves as the governing body for the newly developed Energize Denver legislation.

In most cases, historic buildings must meet the energy performance requirements, unless the Landmark Preservation Board has limited the energy efficiency measures the building can perform. Alternative compliance options are available in these circumstances.

Yes, contact us to learn more. You may be eligible for a Colorado Residential Energy Upgrade (RENU) loan. It makes home energy upgrades easy and affordable by offering low-cost, long-term financing for energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements up to $75,000.

Yes. A variety of rebates are available for commercial heat pump and lighting upgrades from the City and County of Denver and Xcel Energy. LeafComply will ensure you take full advantage of all available building electrification rebates listed here.

Energy Use Intensity (EUI) refers to the amount of energy used per square foot annually. It's calculated by dividing the total energy consumed by the building in a year by the total gross floor area. Like miles per gallon for cars, EUI is the prime indicator of a building's energy performance. Buildings over 25,000 square feet must meet certain EUI targets by specific dates to achieve compliance.

This is the name of the administrative program implemented by CASR (The Office of Climate Action, Sustainability & Resiliency) requiring the benchmarking, reporting, and existing building performance in commercial and multifamily buildings that are located within the City and County of Denver.

Yes. The Colorado Air Quality Control Commission (AQCC) adopted new regulations in August 2023 for a State building performance standard.

This standard covers buildings 50,000 square feet and larger.

However, this new program does not supersede or replace the Energize Denver Building Performance Policy.

While the State of Colorado and the City and County of Denver will be working together to align both programs as best as they can, building owners will need to comply with both BPS programs. For more information on the State's new BPS requirements, please visit the Colorado Energy Office’s Building Performance Standards website

In January 2021, the Energize Denver Task Force was created by Mayor Michael Hancock and tasked with helping the City and County of Denver design a building performance policy for existing commercial and multi-family buildings that improves health and equity, creates jobs, and drives climate solutions in existing buildings to achieve net zero energy by 2040.

Members of the Energize Denver Task Force represented multiple sectors and stakeholders including building owners and managers, affordable housing providers, our local utility, energy modeling and efficiency experts providers, resident/tenant/non-profit representatives, labor and workforce representatives, environment and clean energy representatives, and a member of Denver City Council.

An audit is a detailed assessment of how a building could improve its performance through upgrading its
equipment and systems. Audits provide building owners with actionable information on the financial
impacts of a range of potential improvements they could make to their buildings.

This information enables them to make good business decisions about improving their buildings' energy performance. The audit will study systems that use energy, such as lighting, boilers, AC units, and water heaters, and any installed measures working to conserve them (such as insulation, air sealing, and windows).

Upon completion, the audit determines where the building is wasting energy, and the audit report
recommends capital improvements that will make the building more efficient, such as replacing lighting
or HVAC systems. The report also gives an estimate of project costs, calculated energy savings, and
payback period (the amount of time it would take for a building owner to recuperate the cost of the
improvement based on the energy saved).