Denver Opens Door To Energy Code Changes That Could Reach Single Family Homes

By Scott Weiser | The Denver Gazette

Denver launched a public process on Feb. 26 to update its energy code for new and renovated small buildings, including single-family homes and duplexes, that would extend efficiency and electrification-readiness standards that began with energy compliance goals for large commercial and multifamily buildings in 2023.

Denver’s 2021 Energize Denver ordinance required energy benchmarking and reductions for structures with 25,000 square feet or more.

As early as 2022, builders predicted the rules would raise housing costs and eventually reach single-family homes and duplexes.

In 2023, Laura Schwartz, spokesperson for Denver Community Planning and Development, told The Denver Gazette that “residential single-family homeowners and single-family home landlords don’t have to worry about the new commercial code requirements, which only apply to apartments, residential condominiums, and townhouses.”

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