Adapting to a Changing Climate, One Home at a Time

If you’ve lived in Southwest Colorado for any length of time, you’ve undoubtedly noticed some seasonal changes. Perhaps you lament the shorter and less predictable ski and boating seasons, recall the regular relief from summer monsoons, or find yourself reminiscing about a less traumatic, less intense fire season. And surely you feel it in the rising temperatures inside and outside your home. 

You aren’t imagining it, temperatures are rising and we’re living through extreme drought. This summer has brought wildfire risk unlike anything in recent memory - right now, the Ferris fire is burning through Dolores and Montezuma counties and the Gold Mountain Fire is active and growing to our north, forcing our neighbors from their homes. Pair that with stretches of high heat, and a reliable, decades-old strategy - throw open the windows at night and let the cool air in - doesn't always serve us anymore. Sometimes the air outside is exactly what we want to keep out.

This is climate resiliency in practice: adapting the way we live, and the way we build and retrofit our homes and buildings, so our families and communities stay healthy and safe as conditions shift beneath us.

As a Regional Energy Coach with 4CORE, I talk with La Plata and Archuleta County residents daily about energy efficiency and electrification. While heating has traditionally driven those conversations, this summer the desire to cool and protect indoor air quality has become the main driver for people considering a heat pump. 

The term ‘heat pump’ is misleading - they aren’t just uber efficient heating systems - they cool too and far more efficiently than window AC units or swamp coolers layered on top of a furnace. On hot smoky days, you can seal up your house, keep particulates out, and still stay cool - without cracking a window or doubling your utility bill.

This isn’t just about comfort: it’s about health, safety, and affordability as well. Clean air and cooling matter most for those most vulnerable - older adults, kids, people with asthma or heart conditions, and anyone in one of our region's many older homes that were never built with cooling - or tight sealing - in mind. Those homes leak air in both directions, so smoke gets in easily and cool air escapes fast. That's where insulation and weatherization becomes critical as well. Air sealing, attic insulation, and duct sealing aren't the most exciting part of this story, but they're what let a heat pump perform the way it should. A high-efficiency heat pump in a leaky house is working harder than it needs to. Pair the two, and you get a home that holds its temperature, resists smoke infiltration, and costs less to run all year.

4CORE is committed to helping our region adapt to our new climate reality in an affordable and accessible way. Climate resiliency isn't a distant concept here. Increasingly, it's about whether your home can protect you on the days you need it most.

If you're wondering whether your home is ready for what's ahead, that's exactly what I help residents and businesses figure out - reach out to me at https://www.fourcore.org/energy-efficiency.

Here's the news: there's now a hard deadline. Applications to Colorado’s Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates (HEAR) program must be submitted by August 1.

As gas prices hit a national average of $4.32 a gallon, a lot of people are doing math they probably didn’t expect to be doing so soon after the federal EV tax credit expired.

Over $4 million in home energy rebates is available right now for Southwest Colorado residents - but the funding won't last.

Join 4CORE, LPEA, and the Colorado Energy Office for a FREE community event where you can get all your questions answered - learn about your options, talk one-on-one with HEAR-approved contractors, get assistance navigating the program, and hear about additional rebates and financing options.

For years, the Holy Grail of EV charging has been the 5-minute refuel. Make recharging an EV battery as quick and easy as filling up a gas tank and range anxiety would be made obsolete.

There’s a big renewable energy opportunity right now that most businesses, nonprofits and public entities don’t know about.

The word “resilience” gets thrown around a lot, but it’s one of the most practical reasons to consider electrification – and one that resonates across the political spectrum.

Something interesting is happening in the electric vehicle market right now, and if you’re EV-curious or currently leasing an EV, it could work in your favor.

Let’s face it: Renters don’t have much control over their living space. I remember layering on sweaters and covering windows with plastic film (along with a healthy dose of resentment) as I desperately tried to keep bone-chilling winters at bay in my old rental.

You may not be familiar with the term “beneficial electrification,” but you have probably heard about elements of it. The concept is simple, and understanding it might change how you think about your home’s energy future.

Ask me to sum up the state of the global EV industry in 2025 in a few words, and I would say: “One in four.”

If you’ve been hearing a lot about heat pumps lately and wondering why, you’re not alone. Heat pumps are having a moment – and for good reason. They’re one of the most efficient, comfortable and versatile ways to heat and cool a home, and right now they’re also more affordable than ever.

Ask a driver who’s committed to their gas-powered vehicle why they haven’t made the switch to electric yet, and you’ll hear reasons like sound (“that sweet purr of my V8”), cost - and, commonly, anticipation for better, cheaper batteries.

Colorado has just launched the new Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates (HEAR) program, unlocking the biggest rebates that have ever been available for energy-efficiency and electrification upgrades. This is a huge opportunity for you and our community, and as your regional energy coach, I’m here to help you navigate the process.

According to POLITICO, the Trump Administration is weighing a plan that would take away most federal funding for buses, trains, and other public transit – and even block states from using their own federal transportation dollars to keep those services running.

Fall is upon us, and as cooler weather settles in, many of us are thinking about how to stay warm and cozy this winter without having our utility bills skyrocket. The good news? There are simple, affordable – and even free – ways to make your home or business more comfortable while setting yourself up for bigger energy savings down the road.

Unlike gasoline, electricity is not routinely stored (yet). Accordingly, its availability and hence price varies wildly from time to time and place to place.

Photo: Source: Love’s, https://www.facebook.com/lovestravelstops/photos/were-thrilled-to-announce-the-opening-of-our-first-of-11-ev-charging-stations-in/1252669026899467/?checkpoint_src=any