Golden considers a net-zero policy for new construction

City of Golden

BY CORINNE WESTEMAN CWESTEMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Within a year or two, all new buildings in Golden could be free of fossil fuels and generate their own electricity with renewable energy sources. at means everything from single-family homes to large industrial complexes would be net zero.

O cials are drafting ordinance language to require net-zero construction in Golden, and City Council is expected to consider it later this year.

Under the proposal, all new buildings would generate their own electricity via solar panels and wouldn’t have any natural gas utilities.

While this proposal only applies to new construction, Golden has longterm goals toward existing buildings. e city wants to achieve 100% renewable energy for electricity by 2030, and 100% renewable for heating by 2050, according to its 2020 Sustainability Strategic Plan.

In the coming weeks, the Community Sustainability Advisory Board and the Planning Commission will cohost three community meetings to gather public feedback on this netzero construction proposal. e meetings will be March 27, April 3 and April 18, and each will be at 6-8:30 p.m. at City Hall.

According to eresa Worsham, the city’s sustainability manager, each meeting will focus on a di erent subtopic within the overall net-zero construction proposal.

e March 27 meeting will discuss the proposed renewable energy requirements for all new construction, including single-family homes. e meeting will explore instances where installing solar panels or other renewable energy sources isn’t feasible, and what alternatives could be established, such as a cash-in-lieu system or participation in a solar garden. e April 3 meeting will discuss the proposed all-electric requirements in new construction, meaning new buildings wouldn’t have any natural gas utilities. Worsham said city o cials want to hear about what kind of hardships people might have building without natural gas, and explore what “alternative compliant pathways” might look like. e April 18 meeting will take a closer look at what exactly falls under “new construction,” as Wor- sham said. While the easiest de nition is anything built on a vacant lot, Worsham said Goldenites need to examine whether and how that should include additions, remodels and other projects. ose are exactly the type of things city o cials and community members will discuss at these meetings, Worsham said.

CSAB has been working on this proposal for several months, and recently brought it to City Council. During the meeting, public comment on net-zero construction was mixed. Most applauded the general e ort, but had questions or concerns about the exact language and applicability. One person wondered how it’d apply to historic buildings that undergo remodels or construct additions.

“We want to have some common sense about it,” she said of implementing a net-zero construction policy. “ … For all new construction across the board, we want those new buildings to be responsible, to generate their energy onsite, and be the most e cient that they can be.”

As Colorado and the United States experience more natural disasters and other threats to utilities, Worsham emphasized how important it is for Goldenites to have energy independence and resiliency. Even if a project can’t install enough solar panels to cover 100% of its usage, “at least it’s giving some relief and