Colorado Energy Office | Energy Code Board
Lotus contracted with the Colorado Energy Office (CEO) to facilitate the State’s Energy Code Board to create a Model Electric and Solar Ready code for the State of Colorado. A House Bill passed in the State’s legislature in 2022 requiring the Energy Office to convene an Energy Code Board with diverse representatives from across the state to develop a model code to be the new state minimum code in conjunction with the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code.
Lotus managed the code development process and facilitated the Energy Code Board (board), and an executive committee through a series of 18 meetings to discuss, deliberate, and finalize each code element within the State’s model code. Lotus conducted research on existing electric-ready, solar-ready, and EV-ready codes in the State, drafted the code elements for board review, facilitated an ongoing public engagement process that culminated in a live public comment session, and wrote the final Model code for the State based on the outputs of the facilitated process. Cost-effectiveness was a critical component of the readiness code discussions and Lotus pulled and summarized reports for the board to advance their understanding of the upfront and retrofit costs for electrification, EV charging, and solar installations. Finally, Lotus executed a voting process for all board members that was efficient and transparent to the public and produced the final code package for the State.
Lotus wrote the State’s Model Electric and Solar Ready Code, which is an immediately adoptable code standard for Colorado communities. In addition, Lotus developed an explanatory code package to help guide communities through the review and adoption of the code, and a final code report to provide an overview of the process and key elements of the Model code. Throughout the process, Lotus maintained strict adherence to the Colorado Open Records Act as well as, timeline and procedural requirements mandated by the House Bill.
“I truly can’t find the words to express how much I appreciate the work you all have put into this project over the past several months. I know that there have been a number of late nights and weekends spent on this project (as well as just long days in general!) and I want you to know how much it meant to me, and CEO broadly, knowing I had all of you that I could trust to get everything done well and on time while I was trying to juggle what felt like a million other things. I can’t tell you how many compliments I received from Board members, other CEO and agency staff, and members of the public on the incredible job you guys did managing this wild process and keeping the Board on track to meet its goals and deadlines. Seriously, it was a lot. So I just wanted to say thank you again for everything, and I look forward to getting everything done in the coming couple of months! This code is a pretty monumental step forward for Colorado and will have a lasting impact that we can all be very proud of. ”