![]() She says the subsidy is a terrible climate policy and adds to skyrocketing energy bills. KIKI VELEZ: We know that the most cost-effective way to eliminate emissions from buildings is through investing in efficient, all-electric appliances.īRASCH: Kiki Velez is a green building advocate for the Natural Resources Defense Council. On that point, climate advocates are skeptical. That's because it's investing in green technologies like mixing hydrogen into the gas supply. Kenney insists that doesn't conflict with his company's ambitious climate goals. It's also consistent with spurring economic development.īRASCH: Xcel Energy has joined homebuilders to defend the subsidy. ![]() ROBERT KENNEY: Our customers are still demanding it and still want it. He says natural gas, it isn't going away. Robert Kenney leads Xcel Energy, Colorado, the state's largest gas and power company. And I think this company addresses that quite nicely.īRASCH: But some big utilities are cautious. (SOUNDBITE OF CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT MOVING)īRASCH: The Zimmermans - they like the idea of pushing more developers to skip natural gas.īETH ZIMMERMAN: With global warming, climate change, we need to, you know, be careful of, you know, how we proceed with future builds. Colorado regulators have proposed becoming the second state to ditch those subsidies, after California. ![]() Part of that money finances a discount to connect new homes to the gas system. It includes what I pay for energy then all these little, like, fees and charges. This takes a second to explain, so bear with me. So let me tell you what my story is about. We moved to Fort Collins to be closer to our grandchildren.īRASCH: OK. In the first house, I break that plan down for Beth and Lee Zimmerman, who are shopping for a new home. And they have a plan to nudge developers to build more of them. Climate groups love electric homes because they can draw their power from clean energy sources like wind and solar. Concrete foundations stretch towards the Rocky Mountain Foothills, some topped with wood frames and roofs. S MYERS: Whether it's cooking, whether it's heating, cooling - everything in that home is going to run off of electricity.īRASCH: We walk out of the trailer. S MYERS: It's a very thoughtfully and intentionally designed community.īRASCH: Stephen Myers is the CEO of Thrive Home Builders, which sells all-electric homes with zero need for natural gas. They grab hardhats, along with free coffee and doughnuts, to tour a brand-new neighborhood. SAM BRASCH, BYLINE: About a dozen people are packed into a trailer at a construction site in Fort Collins, Colo. STEPHEN MYERS: Thank you so much for showing up for a tour. ![]() Colorado Public Radio's Sam Brasch reports. California recently scrapped these incentives, and now Colorado is considering a similar move. And that is something climate scientists worry could lock in decades of climate-warming emissions. It helps pay to link new homes to the natural gas system. You may not notice it when you pay your utility bill for gas, but for some, those bills have a hidden fossil fuel subsidy. ![]()
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