|
MEMBERS: GARFIELD COUNTY | TOWN OF PARACHUTE | TOWN OF RIFLE | TOWN OF SILT | TOWN OF NEW CASTLE | CITY OF GLENWOOD SPRINGS | TOWN OF CARBONDALE | COLORADO MOUNTAIN COLLEGE | ROARING FORK TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY | HOLY CROSS ENERGY | GARFIELD COUNTY LIBRARIES
PROGRAMS & SERVICES: CLEER (CLEAN ENERGY ECONOMY FOR THE REGION)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Energy efficiency is key to affordable homeownership, and Habitat for Humanity is proving it in Garfield County
|
In Garfield County, where housing costs are high and monthly expenses can make or break a family’s ability to stay rooted in the valley, Habitat for Humanity of the Roaring Fork Valley is demonstrating how energy efficiency can be a cornerstone of long-term affordability.
At Wapiti Commons, a recently completed Habitat development in southern Rifle, homeowners are seeing the impact immediately. Monthly energy costs for homeowners are in the range of $20 to $30, with some as low as $6, says Trent Marshall, project manager for the multifamily housing project. Those utility bill savings are the result of a carefully coordinated approach to building design, construction practices, and energy systems informed by hands-on collaboration with Garfield Clean Energy’s (GCE) residential energy coaches.
“If you build and buy a house at an affordable rate, but have a $600 gas bill or electricity bill, it doesn’t make sense,” Marshall says. “Why do all the work if it’s still going to be a burden in the long run anyway?”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Make home efficiency your New Year’s resolution
|
In 2026, resolve to make your home more comfortable, affordable, and energy-smart. Many homes lose energy through poor insulation, leaky windows and ducts, aging appliances, and inefficient heating and lighting—often without homeowners realizing it.
Energy coaching is the best place to start before investing in upgrades. It takes the guesswork out by showing which improvements make sense for your home and which will deliver the biggest return.
|
|
|
|
|
Colorado Clean Diesel Program grants available
|
The Colorado Clean Diesel Program makes grants to businesses to help offset the cost of replacing certain diesel equipment with all-electric or hybrid-electric equivalents. Grants have been awarded to farmers, cities, airlines, and compost and recycling centers.
“Investing in a hybrid bucket truck has been an important step in lowering the City’s emissions while reducing idle time and fuel use, without sacrificing the performance staff rely on,” says Elizabeth Bocon, sustainability director for the City of Lafayette. “It’s an investment that strengthens both our workforce and our community’s air quality.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Two Rivers Connect launches winter Way to Roll
|
Two Rivers Connect is launching a winter Way to Roll program, which encourages residents, commuters, employers, and visitors in the Colorado River and Roaring Fork valleys to explore new ways of getting around—ride the bus, carpool, vanpool, bike, walk, or work from home—and rewards participants for shifting even one trip per week.
How to Participate:
-
Download the Two Rivers Connect app or visit the website
-
Log your trips when you bike, walk, bus, carpool, vanpool, or work remotely
-
Find Rides with a carpool as a rider or driver
-
Earn prizes like lift tickets, gift cards, and more
-
We encourage Employers to sign up as an Employer Network to offer additional incentives, promote carpooling, and access custom engagement tools for your teams.
Even small shifts—say, one day a week —in how we get around can go a long way to support a more efficient, flexible, and enjoyable experience moving through our region.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
New funding opportunities with Charge Ahead Colorado
|
The Charge Ahead Colorado grant program is opening a Standard Application cycle, offering state funding for community-based Level 2 and DC fast-charging stations. Eligible applicants include businesses and industry, government and public institutions, multifamily housing, non-profit organizations, and workplaces. If you’re thinking about applying, email Dova Castañeda Zilly, and our team will walk you through it. Or, sign up for Charge Ahead Colorado updates.
|
|
|
|
|
January is National Radon Action Month
|
Winter is the best time of year to test for radon because a more accurate reading can be obtained when windows and doors remain shut. Pick up your free radon test kit at the CLEER office in Carbondale or at the Garfield County Public Health offices in Glenwood Springs or Rifle.
Forty percent of homes in Garfield County have tested above the EPA limit for radon, a cancer-causing, radioactive gas that enters homes through the ground. The only way to know the level of radon in your home is to use a radon test kit. Read more...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Third Street Center,
Suites 7 & 17
520 South Third Street
Carbondale, CO 81623
|
|
|
|
|
|
