More than $4 million in grant funding has now been awarded to the City of Aspen to incentivize construction of all-electric buildings, with a particular focus on affordable housing projects.
The funding will also assist local officials in code development work, particularly in the area of adapting new advanced building energy codes.
The funding is part of a larger $30 million in grants just awarded to local governments across Colorado for a wide variety of projects designed to promote energy-efficient housing, reduce emissions, and lower energy costs, among other endeavors.
“These funds will support local efforts to make our communities more sustainable and affordable by embracing lower-cost clean energy solutions,” Democrat Governor Jared Polis said in announcing the 18 individual grants.
By design, the Local Impact Accelerator Grant program encourages local and tribal governments to tackle energy and climate projects in their own way, without management direction from the state.
Among the other large recipients: the City of Fort Collins, which is getting $3.8 million in fund support for adopting what is known as a Building Performance Standards Policy, as well as a Protected Intersections Policy designed to create safer street designs at intersections.
Boulder County is slated to receive $3.6 million to help households transition to energy-efficient heat pumps for “income-qualified residents,” while the Town of Wellington in northern Colorado is getting just over $2.8 million to establish an Infill Development Incentive Policy that will be used to help diversify “housing types and enhance affordability.”
The smallest grant announced through the program is for just over $162,000 and it’s going to the City of Rifle on the far west side of the state to become an official Dwelling Unit Supportive Jurisdiction designed to increase housing options and transit connectivity.
June 26, 2026
By Garry Boulard
Graphic courtesy of Pixabay
