Today, Refuel Colorado Fleets, a pilot project to boost the use of alternative fuel vehicles in public and private sector fleets, today announces that communities within nine Colorado counties have been selected for the project. Counties selected for the year-long pilot are Routt, Larimer, Boulder, Jefferson, Adams, Garfield, Mesa, Montezuma and La Plata.
Energy coaches employed by four community-based nonprofits will help business and government fleet owners work together with auto dealers, fuel providers, business leaders and local governments in the nine counties to pursue or expand use of alternative fuels.
"The Refuel Colorado Fleets energy coaches will support the adoption of alternative fuel vehicles," said Jeff Ackermann, director of the Colorado Energy Office. "Each community will determine what makes sense for them, be that electric, natural gas, propane, or other vehicle types. Each of these provides economic and environmental benefits, making this an exciting project."
Energy coaching will be done by Northern Colorado Clean Cities, Denver Metro Clean Cities, Garfield Clean Energy and Four Corners Office for Resource Efficiency. The pilot project is being led by CLEER: Clean Energy Economy for the Region, a Carbondale nonprofit with expertise in alternative fuel vehicle technology, energy coaching and community engagement.
The four nonprofits will use energy coaching techniques already being used by CLEER to help households and businesses carry out energy efficiency upgrades in homes and commercial buildings. "Energy coaching delivers a proven success rate of 70-percent or higher in helping property owners actually carry out efficiency upgrades", said Mike Ogburn, energy engineer for CLEER.
The Refuel Colorado Fleets pilot project will apply these same energy coaching techniques to the evaluation of existing fleets, to reduce petroleum use and save money by using alternative fuel vehicle options. A U.S. Department of Energy grant to the Colorado Energy Office is funding the project.
"Colorado has built a strong reputation as a leader in renewable energy and other innovative industries," said U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo. "Refuel Colorado Fleets' work on these projects in counties across the state only enhances that reputation. "There is great promise in alternative fuel vehicles and these types of programs help proliferate their use and allow communities to see how best to implement proven green technologies."
The nine counties were selected following a two-month survey of 21 cities and counties in western Colorado and along the Front Range. Southern Colorado Clean Cities, based in Colorado Springs, also participated in the survey effort.
"We selected the nine counties after finding a good match between three key aspects: fleet vehicle needs, auto dealer interest in alternative fuels, and viability of developing public refueling facilities," said Ogburn.
"Not all fleet vehicles can be replaced by an alternative fuel vehicle, some auto dealers were more interested than others, and the availability of alternative fuels varies by region," said Ogburn. "Our survey found communities with the best overlaps in these three areas, and the energy coaches will help those communities accelerate the shift to alternative fuels."
In the coming weeks, energy coaches will work with businesses and local governments in the nine counties to analyze their fleets, including miles driven and age, vehicle type and purpose, to determine the optimal alternative fuel to focus on.
"We want to help fleet owners understand the benefits of alternative fuels, such as less air pollution, less reliance on foreign energy sources, and lower costs for fuel and maintenance," said Sarah Rank, energy coach for Four Corners Office for Resource Efficiency. "We’ll help them make wise buying decisions that will deliver a high return on investment."
Selected counties, by energy coaching organization:
Routt, Larimer counties
Maria Eisemann, Northern Colorado Clean Cities, marianccc@comcast.net, (970) 988-2996
Boulder, Jefferson, Adams counties
Natalia Swalnick, Denver Metro Clean Cities, nswalnick@lungcolorado.org, (303) 847-0271
Montezuma, La Plata counties
Gregg Dubit, 4CORE, Gregg@fourcore.org, (970) 259-1916 x114
Mesa, Garfield counties
Heather McGregor or Mike Ogburn, CLEER: Clean Energy for the Economy & Garfield Clean Energy, hmcgregor@cleanenergyeconomy.
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