Beneficial Electrification for Eagle County Housing (BEECH)
UPDATED: 11/07/2023
Project Name: Beneficial Electrification for Eagle County Housing (BEECH)
Project Leader(s): Eagle County & Northwest Colorado Council of Governments (NWCCOG)
Partner(s): Energy Smart/Walking Mountains Science Center, Colorado Energy Office, Holy Cross Energy (funding partner), Mobile Intercultural Resource Alliance (MIRA) Bus
Stage of Completion: In-progress
Construction Type: Existing buildings
Building Type: Manufactured homes, site-built homes, and targeting an affordable housing multi-family housing complex
Total Number of Units Targeted:
80 (number of manufactured homes in Dotsero mobile home neighborhood)
Moving forward the goal of the program is to complete 25 homes per year, including Eagle County residents outside of Dotsero
Total Number of Units Completed:
24 homes in Dotsero Park electrified
The project was restructured with new funding resources and partners. After the restructure, there have been about 25 homes electrified per year.
The initial project targeted Dotsero Mobile Home Park but now has expanded to additional residents outside of the park and across Eagle County.
Tenant Structure: Owner-occupied & renters (just need building owner permission)
Target Audience: Residents who qualify for energy assistance funding. Targeting homes with existing heating fuel or propane in Eagle County, either mobile homes or site-built. Not limited to propane, but targeting propane homes/concentrating outreach to propane homes.
Full/Partial Electrification: Full (targeting electrifying all end uses, and capping any existing fossil fuel infrastructure)
Existing Heating Fuel Type: Propane and natural gas
End Uses Electrified: Space heating, water heating, cooking, and clothes drying
Specific electric appliances installed: Cold climate air source heat pump, electric hybrid heat pump water heater, induction cooktop/range and hood, and heat pump clothes dryers
Total Project Funding:
No set amount of funding, ongoing funding
Taking it one home at a time
Amount or % of Project Cost Covered per unit: 100% is covered for each participant. The cost estimate per unit is $25k (depends on the circumstances of the home)
Source of Funding: Eagle County, Colorado Energy Office, Weatherization Assistance Program, Holy Cross Energy, rebates and incentives from utilities (Holy Cross Energy)
Motivation for electrification:
Dotsero mobile home park comprises 80 mobile homes that rely on propane gas for fuel. Propane results in expensive bills for residents and presents a major risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, leaking gas lines, and combustion from old appliances. Eagle County and NWCCOG wanted to improve the health and safety of mobile home residents, reduce energy costs, address climate change and provide emissions reductions.
Based on the work with Dotsero, BEECH is looking to reach out to more income-qualified residents that may benefit from this and other energy efficiency programs.
Additional Measures Implemented: Weatherization improvements including, air and duct sealing, insulation improvements, refrigerators replaced, LED light bulbs installed, bathroom exhaust fans mounted, windows replaced, storm windows installed, electric panel upgrades
Workforce Development/Green Jobs Component:
"Understanding and generating a pathway to field jobs for agencies is a goal for NWCCOG, the CEO, and Eagle County. Weatherization is tough to contextualize and explain to prospective workers, so it's important to continue a program that is accessible for and easily understood by communities that are served." NWCCOG is working on developing a training center that builds on the work of this program. Their desire is to create resources that enable them to hire more individuals to do more work on this program.
Eagle County has added an operations center in Gypsum, CO to support this program.
Next steps:
Expand outreach and enrollment activities
Source:
Links to additional resources: