Earth Day isn’t a holiday known for gift-giving, but Denver thinks this year should be a little different.
On April 22, the city plans to launch a rebate program to help residents buy a variety of products — electric bikes, solar panels, cold-climate heat pumps — designed to help them move away from fossil fuels.The incentives will apply to anyone living in Denver, but the program will initially focus on home energy upgrades, said Johnathan Rogers, a renewable energy expert for the city and county of Denver.
“I would encourage those who are considering replacing their furnaces or replacing their air conditioners to take advantage of our program early, as these high levels of incentives may not last forever,” Rogers said.
Here’s the full set of incentives available later this month.Taken together, Rogers said, they were designed to offset 80 percent of the cost of “electrification” in homes.
The biggest downside is the price.Installing a heat pump can easily exceed $10,000, Rogers said, putting it out of reach for most Denver homes.
Rogers said full details of the e-bike and home energy rebates will be posted on the city’s website soon.He noted that they’ll be offered as an up-front discount on purchases, so Denver residents won’t have to fill out any forms and wait to pay after the fact.
Funding for the program comes from a 0.25 percent sales tax approved by Denver voters in 2020, which contributes about $40 million a year to the city’s climate protection fund.Rogers said the city plans to draw $3 million a year from the fund to fund a new rebate program.
One stated goal of the new sales tax is to promote environmental equity across the city.While the rebate is available to all Denverians regardless of income, Rogers said higher-value incentives will be available to nonprofits like the Energy Resource Center, which has completed energy efficiency programs for low-income households.
The initial investment is aimed at boosting the market for electric heat pumps and contractors willing to install them.Rogers said the rebates may be adjusted over time depending on whether they are working to help people avoid installing gas furnaces and water heaters.
“Each of us needs to be involved in the energy transition, and we need multiple tools and programs to do that,” Rogers said.
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