Achieving our greenhouse gas goals requires the shift from gas to electric. On top of existing rebates, PACE offers a $500 bonus / unit for the removal and replacement of natural gas equipment with electric equipment, including:

• Boiler
• Furnace
• Water heater
• Commercial grade cooking equipment that is commercially used (e.g. on a commercial meter, serves more than an individual family, HOA club house equipment does not qualify)

All other PACE rebate eligibility, limits, and conditions apply.

Did you know heat pumps can both heat and cool indoor spaces? Heat pumps provide cooling by transferring warm indoor air to the outside and can keep buildings warm by extracting heat from the cold outside air and transfer it inside. See more about heat pump technology here.

*** Businesses under 2,500 square feet may qualify for our Small Business Equity Program, which covers up to 70% of project costs for refrigeration and food service equipment. ***

Additional eligibility criteria may apply. Contact your advisor for more detailed requirements.

$500 per unit for ENERGY STAR certified heat pump water heaters. Heat pump water heaters work like air conditioners in reverse, but rather than moving heat from inside to the outdoors, they move heat from the air into the water tank. Heat pump water heaters can be two or three times more energy efficient than a conventional electric resistance water heater and are a great alternative to fossil fuel burning natural gas water heaters, particularly as the electric grid gets cleaner.

Heat recovery ventilators (HRVs) and energy recovery ventilators (ERVs) both recover energy from a building’s exhaust air. The energy is applied to an incoming current of fresh/outside air to either pre-heat or pre-cool the air before it enters a building. With HRVs and ERVs, you can enjoy fresh air inside without putting stress on heaters and air conditioners. Not only is this a more efficient way to heat and cool a building, it is also improving indoor air quality by adding more fresh air.

Heat Recovery Ventilator (HRV)

Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV)

1. Incentive is per square foot of component area, not building area.
2. Existing windows must be clear and either single or double pane. Window films must be professionally installed. Incentives are only for windows within 45 degrees of West, South, or East (north facing windows do not qualify).
3. CI stands for continuous insulation (i.e. no thermal breaks such as studs, rafters, etc.). LS stands for Liner System. Product rating must be met or exceeded to qualify; no partial improvement can be applied. R-value is an average across total square footage being insulated. Overall assembly R-value (including existing insulation) may be accepted on a case-by-case basis (provide assembly R-value calculations).

NOTE: All fixtures, retrofits and lamps must be on either the DLC QPL, or ENERGY STAR qualified. Additional eligibility criteria may apply. Contact your advisor for more detailed requirements.

Exterior lighting is required to be either:
1. Dark Sky Compliant listed
or
2. Full cut off and no more than 3,000K in color temperature.

Retrofits of existing outdoor fixtures are exempted from items 1 and 2, but are still subject to local code requirements.

Xcel Energy and Efficiency Works offer strong incentives for motors and variable frequency drives, which frequently yield high energy savings. Your PACE advisor can help you review them and process your application for utility rebates.

Funding is available for the installation of solar systems on commercial properties, including those owned or occupied by for-profit businesses, nonprofit organizations, and multifamily housing. Restrictions apply.

*Each solar incentive (rebate or grant) is limited to 50% of the total project cost after utility incentives are applied. Eligible nonprofits may combine incentives up to 70% of the total project cost.

Organizations may be eligible for one or more of these solar incentives. Funding amounts are determined by organization type, property location, and system capacity. Awards are subject to pre-defined program limits and available on a first-come, first-served basis to eligible organizations while funding is available.

SUBMIT AN INTEREST FORM

General requirements for solar incentives:

• The applicant is the property owner. Applicants who lease their property will also be considered if they have a minimum 3-year lease term remaining and option to renew.
• The property must be free from deed restrictions on PV systems.
• Units must be installed within the bounds of the property premises.
• North-facing roofs do not allow full utilization of sunlight and do not qualify.
• There must be minimal shading by trees, buildings and other structures.
• A list of eligible PV system modules and inverters is available on the California Energy Commission’s website.
• All PV systems must carry a five-year warranty from both the manufacturer and the installer, including parts and labor.
• Rebuilt, used, refurbished or portable equipment does not qualify.
• New construction or major renovations qualify except if solar is required by code or if solar is being added to contribute to code compliance, even if the amount of solar is above code requirements. Exceptions may be considered for nonprofits on a limited basis.
• A no-cost greenhouse gas inventory and facility assessment performed by PACE are required prior to all solar rebate reservations, except multifamily housing and other situations where greenhouse gas inventories are not relevant.
• Properties located in the City of Boulder must be compliant with the Building Performance Ordinance, if applicable based on building size.

PACE Solar Rebate

PACE offers up to $10,000 to qualified for-profit businesses, nonprofit organizations, and multifamily housing projects across Boulder County for appropriately sized photovoltaic systems.

Submit an interest form and a PACE Advisor will contact you about your project.

Nonprofit Solar Equity Grant

Boulder County nonprofits serving low-income populations are eligible for a $10,000 equity grant. Nonprofits must meet the following criteria:

• The organization’s core mission serves low-income individuals and families OR the organization is a place of worship with low income services provided directly from the organization.
• The organization is an IRS 501(c)3 nonprofit organization in good standing with the State of Colorado.
• The organization is responsible for paying its energy bills.

Submit an interest form and a PACE Advisor will contact you about your project.

City of Boulder Nonprofit Solar Grant

City of Boulder only: Qualified site-based nonprofits located in the City of Boulder are eligible for up to $35,000 in additional project funding. Income-qualified housing that is owned and operated by a nonprofit in the City of Boulder is also eligible.

Submit an interest form and a PACE Advisor will contact you about your project.

City of Boulder Tax Rebate

City of Boulder residents and businesses that have installed solar electric or solar thermal (hot water) systems on their property may be eligible for a sales and use tax rebate. The city may rebate approximately 15 percent of the city sales and use tax paid on materials and permits for the solar installation. To be eligible, taxpayers must file a rebate application within 12 months of the city’s final inspection. The City of Boulder sales and use tax rebate does not impact eligibility for PACE’s solar rebate.

The City of Boulder has teamed up with PACE to offer grants to professional landscaping businesses in Boulder County that want to switch to commercial electric landscaping equipment. To apply for the grant, fill out the application.

The grant will pay for about 70% of the cost of eligible commercial electric landscape equipment, with a limit of $10,000 (excluding sales tax) per recipient. Additionally, the program will provide safety items to help ensure the safe use of commercial lithium batteries.

For more information about the program, please visit our Small Business Equity page.

All Boulder County businesses can participate in a custom rebate program for energy efficiency measures that are not part of the existing prescriptive rebate program. All rebates approved by the utility’s custom rebate program are eligible for a one for one rebate match, subject to PACE’s general rebate caps and conditions.

The custom efficiency rebates promote electric and natural gas reduction and require pre-approval prior to purchase/installation of equipment. Project submissions are reviewed and approved on a case-by-case basis.

Examples of potential custom rebate measures:

Advanced lighting controls, high efficiency heat pumps, heat recovery and reuse, chiller upgrades, building automation systems, compressed air equipment and system upgrades, refrigeration compressor and condenser upgrade, variable frequency drive installations on fans, pumps, or other variable loads.

Contact a business sustainability advisor at 303-786-7223 or info@PACEpartners.com to learn more.

PACE rebates and incentives can be combined with utility incentives

• • Efficiency Works in Longmont
  • Xcel Energy in Boulder County
    • Businesses under 50,000 square feet may qualify for Xcel Energy’s Direct Install program and could be eligible to receive free LED bulbs (when replacing incandescent or HID bulbs), coil cleaning for coolers and freezers, pipewrap, faucet aerators, and pre-rinse spray valves.

Find out what other support organizations are here to help you.

PACE rebates are available to commercial and institutional organizations on commercial meters within Boulder County (including non-profits, manufacturing facilities and multifamily housing) installing eligible retrofit measures. Rebates will not be offered to new construction or renovations projects. To distinguish between retrofit and renovation projects, Boulder County will treat the project as new construction/renovation if the business meets two out of the four following criteria:

1. The business is undertaking the project primarily due to a change in the use of the space, which requires changes to the lighting or HVAC systems. For example, warehouse space is being converted to office space.
2. Existing light fixtures are being removed and a totally new light scheme with re-wiring is the result.
3. Required to apply for a construction permit.
4. First time install of electric operated equipment in which higher efficient models are available.

Specific measure eligibility is dependent on the type of upgrade. Contact a PACE advisor for more information.

Rebate Limits per Parcel:

• $20,000 annually
• $5,000 lifetime for HVAC equipment

Additional Rebate Limits:

• Rebates will be limited such that the simple payback period for any project, with all rebates and incentives deducted from total project costs, is not less than one year.
• The total of all rebates and incentives (PACE rebates, utility rebates, etc.) cannot exceed 50% of total project costs. The exception is the combination of solar rebates and incentives which may be combined up to 70% of project costs for nonprofits.

Businesses may be allowed to request an exemption, subject to approval by a committee of PACE staff.

PACE reserves the right to cap funding for any one business sector to ensure a fair distribution of funds.

C-PACE Energy Loans

Colorado Property Assessed Clean Energy Loans (C-PACE) enables owners of Eligible Commercial & Industrial Buildings to finance up to 100% of Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy, and Water Conservation Eligible Improvements.

Do you need a contrator for your project? Find a contractor for lighting, solar, or HVAC projects.

Are you a Contractor? Go to the PACE Contractor section for more information.

The easiest and most accurate way to obtain a rebate estimate is to contact a PACE advisor. Regardless, written confirmation of a rebate reservation by a PACE advisor is the only way to ensure that rebate funds will be available for your project. Should you wish to estimate your own rebates, the forms are below.

Rebate estimators:

• 2023 PACE – Lighting Rebate Estimator
• 2023 PACE – HVAC Performance Rebate Estimator
• 2023 PACE – Heat Pump Rebate Estimator
• 2023 PACE – Miscellaneous Rebate Estimator

Application forms:

• Terms and Conditions
• Utility Release Form – Longmont Power and Communications Customers
• Utility Release Form – Xcel Energy Customers 
• Consent to Disclose Utility Customer Data – Xcel Energy Customers
• Consent to Disclose Utility Customer Data – Xcel Energy Customers (Spanish)

Note that rebate amounts and requirements are subject to change without notice. PACE rebates are available on a first come, first serve basis. Businesses/contractors are required to contact an advisor prior to the purchase of energy efficiency measures to confirm funding availability, ensure that your project meets the eligibility requirements and to schedule an energy assessment/walk through of the project to verify existing equipment.