NEDERLAND — The Nederland Sustainability Advisory Board (SAB) has been working on some amazing advancements for the Town of Nederland by collaborating with energy providers in the worlds of heating and cooling, electricity, and solar to bring the Town closer to its goal of 100% renewable energy—and significant carbon reduction—by 2030.

The “Switch Together” campaign, which was created in partnership with solar co-op organizers Solar United Neighbors, and is run by the “user-friendly” sustainability operations platform iChoosr, provides Nederland residents with free registration into programs that offer major discounts on power solutions for their homes. 

By registering for the pilot heat pump program from now until June 3, 2026, Nederland residents could receive a nearly 10% discount on an electric heat pump, which can have an average cost between $17,000 and $30,000. 

Registering for the solar and battery program from now until September 2, 2026, allows residents access to a 23% discount off the cost of the installation of a residential solar system, which can equal up to $6,000 in savings.

Links for both programs are at the end of this article.  

Additionally, SAB has been working with Xcel Energy through their Partners in Energy (PIE) program to develop a new Energy Action Plan—a guiding document to aid the Town in its renewable energy goals—by June of this year.

Representatives from PIE led the Nederland Board of Trustees through a presentation on April 21 on the progress of the plan’s development. 

The deliverables outlined for the Energy Action Plan include “the aspirational vision for Nederland’s energy future,” foundational conditions to define future actions, and measurable energy goals with clearly defined targets to indicate progression success. 

According to PIE, a period of community surveying and workshops has been underway since January, with the second and last workshop scheduled for May 4, at 4 p.m. at the Nederland Community Center. 

Surveys were completed by 64 residents, two-thirds of whom are homeowners, and half of whom receive gas or electricity from Xcel Energy. The results of the survey helped PIE to form a vision statement and two proposed goals for the energy plan. 

“Nederland will advance a renewable energy future that promotes equity, strengthens community resilience, and reduces long-term reliance on fossil fuels,” the vision statement reads.

The two goals are to increase renewable energy solutions for homes and businesses, and to reduce residential carbon dioxide emissions. 

PIE also offered recommendations for four focus areas—Residential, Workforce Development, Resilience and Reliability, and Equity—and strategies for actionable solutions for each of those areas.

Such strategies include encouraging renewable energy options, promoting energy efficiency, encouraging electrification, providing outage preparedness, building a network of local contractors, reducing energy burden, and supporting the “continuity of essential services.” 

Trustees directed SAB and PIE to keep the current set goal for reaching 85% renewable energy by 2028—100% by 2030—but to ease the goals for reaching an “ambitious” reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 due to the community’s lukewarm response to the proposal to limit the use of natural gas. 

The next two months will be focused on confirming the strategies and the metrics for successful progression, while also solidifying the action plan and preparing it for approval from the Board of Trustees in June. 

The Nederland Sustainability Advisory Board meets on the fourth Thursday of every month. Their next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, May 28, 2026, at 6:45 p.m. and can be attended online or in person at the Nederland Community Center.