Estes Park plan models up to 90% town-operations emissions cut by 2050

Estes Park’s organizational climate action plan projects an 84% to 90% cut in town-operations emissions from 2024 levels by 2050, a presenter said. The difference depends on how quickly its strategies are implemented.

The plan’s modeling attributes most of the projected cuts to a cleaner electricity grid. It incorporates Platte River Power Authority’s goal of using 100% non-carbon energy by 2050. In the moderate scenario, the cleaner grid accounts for about 78% of total projected reductions.

Mayor Gary Hall said he had seen little progress on electrification during his 2 and a half years in office. “And I would like to see more progress on that in this next year and a half,” Hall said. A staff member said the 2027 budget had been set through this year’s strategic planning, without the climate plan in mind. The town could still add items for 2027, but spending proposals would more naturally enter strategic planning early next year for the 2028 budget, the staff member said.

Trustee Bill Brown said “some of these things you can do, they'll actually cost more money than you'll save,” urging the town to rank projects by cost recovery. Trustee Frank Lancaster cautioned that commercial heat pumps may need gas or electric-resistance backup, which could increase demand on the grid and infrastructure and raise electric bills. Trustee Jamie Mieras proposed a return-on-investment study to identify the town’s greatest gains, particularly in buildings, while it waits to make future budget changes.

The town’s internal operations emitted 2,841 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2024. Buildings and facilities accounted for 80% of that total. The plan recommends prioritizing energy-efficiency retrofits and expanded building electrification, with a return-on-investment study to weigh strategies.

The plan includes implementation roadmaps for buildings and facilities, the vehicle fleet, the transit fleet and employee commutes. Another staff member said the town expected to work toward some of the plan’s goals in 2027 without completely changing its budget for that year.