How To Guide

Many utilities offer energy audits at very low cost, which is an excellent first step and will guide you towards the improvements that will have the most benefits. Insulation and air sealing are relatively low-cost improvements that can reduce your home’s energy use by as much as 20%, while also increasing your comfort by reducing drafts.

An energy audit may only cost $100 or less with utility rebates. Air sealing improvements may cost about $1,000 dollars and adding more insulation may cost $2,000 – $8,000, but rebates and tax credits will help cover some or most of these costs.

Heat pumps efficiently use electricity to both heat and cool your home, reducing or eliminating your home’s reliance on gas or propane heating and significantly reducing the greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions from your home.

We recommend getting an energy audit before exploring your heat pump options because heat pumps provide the largest benefits in insulated and air-sealed homes.

To learn more about heat pumps, go here.

Heat pump water heaters (HPWHs) are very efficient and will significantly reduce your energy costs if your current water heater is either standard electric or propane. If your current water heater is a tanked gas system, a HPWH is likely to have comparable or slightly lower operating costs but will reduce your greenhouse gas emissions and produce no harmful combustion products.HPWHs cost about $2,000 more (total installation costs) than conventional water heaters (standard electric, propane, or gas). Rebates and state and federal tax credits will make up for some of that difference.

To learn more about heat pump water heaters, go here.

Modern induction ranges are increasingly affordable and provide a host of benefits when compared to gas ranges or older electric resistance cooktops. The benefits of induction include incredibly fast heating, precision heat control, easy cleaning, and advanced safety features.

A new induction range will cost several hundred dollars more than a gas or propane version. Rebates and tax credits will offset some of this cost difference.

To learn more about induction cooking, go here.

In addition, with federal and state tax credits, the cost of purchasing an EV can be about the same as an equivalent gas vehicle. The EV CO website offers great information and resources on buying an EV, state and federal tax credits, and setting up home EV charging.

Setting up your home EV-charging allows you to conveniently “refuel” at home during off-peak hours when many utilities offer lower rates.

Some Colorado utilities offer rebates for the costs of setting up home EV charging, which you can search for here.

Many utilities offer rebates for solar PV systems, and the Colorado Energy Office offers a low-interest loan program to help homeowners finance solar PV and other home energy improvements.

For more information on utility rebates, go to your electric utility’s website. New solar PV systems (installed after 2022) are also eligible for a federal tax credit of 30% of the installation costs.