An Award-Winning Efficiency Program in Fort Collins, Colorado

Fort Collins Utilities implemented the Efficiency Works-Neighborhood Pilot to accelerate the city's goal of eliminating 80 percent of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. By replacing an 'à la carte' approach with bundled service packages, third-party audits, and 100 percent on-bill financing over 20 years, the program more than tripled customer participation and achieved 60 percent greater carbon savings. The initiative received the Energy Innovator Award from the American Public Power Association (APPA) for its transferable model of removing financial and procedural barriers for residential consumers.

• Fort Collins accelerated its climate targets following an RMI e–Lab design charrette, moving its goal of an 80 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from 2050 to 2030, with a target of total elimination by 2050.
• The Efficiency Works-Neighborhood Pilot improved upon previous 'à la carte' efficiency services by using a streamlined process involving third-party audits that offer customers three tiered package options: 'good, better, and best'.
• To eliminate financial barriers, the pilot program allowed for up to 100 percent financing of upgrades, with repayments integrated into the customer's monthly electric bill over a 20-year period.
• The pilot program's results included more than tripling the number of customers who proceeded with renewable energy and energy efficiency projects and achieving a 60 percent increase in carbon savings.
• The American Public Power Association (APPA) granted the program the Energy Innovator Award, noting that the model's focus on removing consumer barriers is transferable to hundreds of other utilities.

APA

RMI (2017). An Award-Winning Efficiency Program in Fort Collins, Colorado. https://rmi.org/resources/award-winning-efficiency-program-fort-collins/

Chicago

RMI. An Award-Winning Efficiency Program in Fort Collins, Colorado. 2017. https://rmi.org/resources/award-winning-efficiency-program-fort-collins/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=An Award-Winning Efficiency Program in Fort Collins, Colorado |date=21 June 2017 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/award-winning-efficiency-program-fort-collins/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2017awardwinning, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{An Award-Winning Efficiency Program in Fort Collins, Colorado}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2017}, month = jun, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/award-winning-efficiency-program-fort-collins/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }