In June of 2024, the Colorado Energy Office (COE) awarded CU Anschutz for the Public Building Electrification Grant (PBEG). The university will receive $105,000 to upgrade HVAC and water heating in Building 534, a small facility located northwest of the Fitzsimmons Building. This supports the university’s longer-term plans to move away from fossil fuels.

It is common for older buildings to still be using technology and systems that require a high amount of energy to function. Emissions from heating buildings are one of the five major sources of greenhouse gas pollution in Colorado, according to the State’s Greenhouse Gas Pollution Reduction Roadmap. The PBEG Program was created to replace inefficient infrastructure with energy efficient electric equipment. In alignment with the State’s goals, The University will use the awarded funds to replace water and space heaters that currently use propane at Building 534 with efficient electrical appliances. This will remove the necessity of fossil fuel to heat the building, thus reducing greenhouse gas emissions, lowering energy consumption, saving money on utility bills and improving air quality. Electrifying buildings is part of the strategy laid out in the Energy Master Plan to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

The award allows the university to show their continued commitment to environmental sustainability for the campus community and the Aurora community at large.