General FAQs
Please email your questions about household or commercial energy use and sustainable transportation to comments@bouldercolorado.gov.
Q: Articles about global warming refer often to the terms GHG, CO2 and carbon footprint. What do these terms mean?
A: These terms relate to each other but mean different things. GHG is short for ‘greenhouse gas’. The greenhouse gases that contribute most to global warming are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (NOx). CO2 is a by-product of the burning of fossil fuels like petroleum, coal and natural gas. A carbon footprint is defined by Boulder’s ClimateSmart campaign as the amount of GHGs a person emits annually through their electricity, natural gas and vehicle fuel use. A carbon footprint is typically measured in pounds or metric tons of CO2. An online tool designed to allow Boulder County residents to calculate their carbon footprint will be available in September at www.beClimateSmart.com.
Q: I hear the term “carbon footprint” a lot. What does it mean?
A: Carbon footprint is the measure or weight of carbon dioxide (CO2) released into the atmosphere when fossil fuels are combusted to provide for our daily activities. The primary components of a household carbon footprint are: annual energy use (the amount of electricity and natural gas used), transportation (number of miles driven, efficiency of the car, airline travel). Different energy sources have varying carbon content. For example, electricity in Colorado is generated mostly from coal which has fairly high carbon content. Natural gas, which many of us use to heat our homes, has a much lower carbon content than coal-based electricity.
Q: How do I calculate my carbon footprint?
A: There are many resources on the internet for calculating your carbon footprint. The city of Boulder’s beClimateSmart.com website includes a calculator tool that is tailored for Colorado. This tool is a work in progress and not yet perfected but is worth visiting. To get the most accurate footprint, you will want to gather 12 months of energy bills so you can enter exactly how much energy you use (kilowatt-hours or kWh for electricity and therms for natural gas). You can also call Xcel Energy at 1-800-895-4999 or the company that provides your energy to get your energy bill history. Most calculators will also ask you to enter data about your transportation behavior, including airline flights, the number of miles you drive, and vehicle type. The result you receive after entering all this data is the amount of carbon dioxide (in pounds or tons) associated with your lifestyle.
Q: What is the average American’s carbon footprint?
A: Electricity and transportation are the main contributors to a household’s footprint but each household will have a different carbon footprint. To provide some basis for comparison, Xcel Energy reports that the average Colorado household uses 625 kWh of electricity and 79 therms of natural gas per month which equates to 6.9 tons and 5.0 tons of CO2 per year, respectively. According to the Department of Energy, the national average annual miles driven is 9,300, which generates 4.2 tons of CO2 per year. Taking three roundtrip three-hour flights per year would equate to approximately 3 tons of CO2. Using these examples, an “average” footprint is 19 tons per year. Keep in mind that a result for your household will need to be divided by the number of people who also share your household’s energy and car(s) use.
Q: Once I know my carbon footprint, what can I do to lower it?
A: If you have calculated your footprint, you are on your way to reducing your personal greenhouse gas emissions. Consider trying to reduce your footprint by 20% in 2008. If your footprint is 20 tons, you could likely reduce your overall footprint by 20% by commuting to work or school twice per week and/or by flying less in 2008. For more ideas and to calculate your footprint, visit www.beClimateSmart.com.
Q: What are the details about Boulder’s Climate Action Plan (CAP) tax?
A: City of Boulder voters approved in November 2006 Initiative 202, a small tax on electricity use now being collected by Xcel Energy and used by the city of Boulder to fund programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Climate Action Plan was written by Office of Environmental Affairs staff and a local expert advisory group. The CAP tax is also referred to as a carbon tax, because most of Boulder’s electricity comes from coal-fired power plants, which are major sources of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global climate change. Xcel’s WindSource customers are exempt from the tax.
Q: How will the funds be used in the Boulder community?
A: The city of Boulder will utilize the annual budget to implement the Climate Action Plan, whose goal is to facilitate a sustainable energy future for Boulder and Boulder County. Tax revenues generated will be used to educate area residents about energy use, and to implement programs that increase energy efficiency and reduce emissions from motor vehicles.
Q: How will area homeowners benefit from paying the CAP tax?
A: Household energy use accounts for 16% of total greenhouse gas emissions in the city of Boulder. City staff provides information and incentives to encourage homeowners, renters, landlords, HOAs, and multifamily residents to save money and reduce their carbon footprint by improving the energy efficiency of their buildings. ClimateSmart programs offer low-cost or free energy audits, income-qualified free weatherization services, workshops and trainings, and access to qualified local contractors.
Q: How will local commercial and industrial operations benefit from paying the CAP tax?
A: Commercial and industrial energy use (including CU) accounts for about 56% of total greenhouse gas emissions in the city of Boulder. ClimateSmart programs offer free energy and water audits, and assist businesses in applying for utility rebates. Participating businesses who implement energy saving measures will be recognized publicly for their achievements.
Q: What are Renewable Energy Credits (RECs)?
A: Recent media stories have generated lots of buzz around Renewable Energy Credits (RECs). Understanding RECs can be challenging, so we’ve prepared some general information that may help demystify this topic.
The energy used in our homes and businesses is generated from a number of sources including coal, natural gas, wind, and solar. Once electricity is produced, it is then fed into the electrical grid where it is delivered to our homes and businesses. Unfortunately, electricity generated from coal and natural gas, the sources of the vast majority of our energy, increases air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Electricity produced from renewable energy sources such as wind or solar, has positive environmental benefits as it does not generate pollution or emissions. At this time, however, renewable energy often costs more to produce than energy from coal or natural gas, which explains the dominant use of these non-renewable, fossil-fuel sources.
To help encourage development of the renewable energy market, renewable energy providers (such as wind farms) sell the electricity generated to utilities and sell the RECs on the open market, often to businesses and individual consumers. These RECs represent the environmental benefits (hence the term ‘credit’) of the renewable energy that is produced. A renewable energy provider is credited with one REC for every 1,000 kWh of electricity it produces (for reference, an average residential customer consumes about 650 kWh per month). Generating and adding renewable energy to the grid decreases the need for coal or natural gas.
RECs can be bought, sold and traded, and REC owners can legally claim to have purchased renewable energy. A certifying agency (Green-e) gives each REC a unique identification number to make sure it isn’t double-counted. The buying and trading of RECs can help incent renewable energy providers to continue to provide renewable energy to the electricity grid.
Q: What are carbon offsets?
A: Carbon offsets are used to mitigate, or "offset" greenhouse gas emissions. In our everyday lives, we generate greenhouse gas emissions through energy use in our homes and offices or through our travel by car or airplane. Many of these emissions are unavoidable, and individuals and businesses are seeking new ways to reduce their carbon ‘footprint’. Carbon offsets offer a way to “neutralize” our emissions by investing in activities that avoid the need for generating an equal amount of carbon elsewhere.
While most people can reduce their energy use by improving the efficiency of their homes and driving cars that get better gas mileage, reducing energy needs to zero through individual actions is nearly impossible. Carbon offsets offer another way to reduce the remainder of one’s carbon footprint.
The four main types of offsets available are derived from energy conservation, methane capture, renewable energy projects, and reforestation. Offsets are purchased by individuals and businesses through a number of organizations and formal trading systems have developed as individuals, businesses, and countries have sought ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Funds collected by offset organizations are used to promote and implement emissions-reducing projects in the areas mentioned above. An offset certification is under development.