Completion Date
2027
Current Phase
Community Engagement

Project Overview

It has been nearly two decades since the city adopted SmartRegs, which established basic energy-efficiency standards for licensed rental units. Since then, heating and cooling technologies have advanced significantly.

As part of Phase I of the Healthy Buildings, Stronger Community Roadmap, city staff are proposing updates to the SmartRegs 100-point checklist to better reflect current technology, improve energy efficiency and support healthier indoor environments.

This Project Seeks to:

  • Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from rental properties.
  • Encourage more efficient heating and cooling systems.
  • Improve indoor air quality and expand tenant access to cooling.

Key Background

  • More than half of housing units in Boulder are rentals.
  • The SmartRegs (Ordinance No. 7726), adopted in 2010, established energy efficiency standards for rental housing.
  • SmartRegs saves 1.9 million Kilowatt-hours of energy annually, the equivalent of the energy use of 526 homes.
  • Property owners can demonstrate compliance through one of two pathways: Prescriptive or Performance. The Prescriptive Pathway, which requires achieving 100 energy-efficiency points and two water conservation points through an inspection, is used by 98% of properties.
  • The SmartRegs checklist and heating, cooling and hot water requirements are included in Chapter 10-2, “Property Maintenance Code”.
  • City code allows staff to identify “Innovative Practice(s)” and assign points as new technologies become available. Some newer heating and cooling technologies have already been recognized through this process.

Why update SmartRegs?

Some parts of the current checklist no longer reflect today’s technology or minimum efficiency standards.

  • More efficient appliances are available today.
  • Some efficient technologies, such as air source heat pumps, do not receive points.
  • Some appliances are awarded points on the checklist yet are below today’s minimum efficiency standards.
  • Some energy metrics have been replaced by new metrics.

Proposed 2026-27 Policy Changes

The proposed updates would modernize the SmartRegs checklist while maintaining the current 100-point compliance structure.

  1. Incorporate city-recognized Innovative Measures into the “Heating”, “Cooling” and “Hot Water” tables.
  2. Remove points for appliances that no longer exceed current minimum efficiency standards.
  3. Revisit the points spread.
  4. Update any out-of-date energy measures.

Frequently Asked Questions

No. Rental properties must only demonstrate SmartRegs compliance once. Only properties that have never previously met SmartRegs would be required to meet SmartRegs with the updated checklist.

No. The checklist will remain a 100-point system.

No. Existing exemptions will remain in place.

Most newly licensed rental properties are condominiums, single-family homes and townhomes.

Additional SmartRegs updates may be considered as part of Phase 3 of the Healthy Buildings, Stronger Community Roadmap (2030-35), with a focus on energy affordability and cooling access for tenants.

How to Get Involved

Initial engagement will focus on directly impacted stakeholders. Engagement in August and September will include presentations to member organizations such as the Boulder Chamber and business districts as well as open houses.

Planning Board, City Council and Environmental Advisory Board meetings will offer additional opportunities to provide public comment.

You may contact Crystal Launder, the project manager, at any time.

Sign up for the Healthy Buildings, Stronger Communities list to receive project updates, including upcoming engagement opportunities.

Links and Resources

Related Documents