Conserve and Reduce

The Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) Program is a financing structure enabled by state statute and local ordinance that provides eligible property owners with access to long-term fixed-rate financing for a range of energy efficiency, renewable energy, water efficiency, and resiliency improvements. The program allows local governments to secure the financing via a special improvement assessment on the improved property.

Eligible properties are any privately-owned commercial, agricultural, industrial, or multi-family real property of five (5) or more dwelling units located within the boundaries of the Region (including properties owned by a not-for-profit organization). Ground leases on Eligible Property are permitted, so long as all requirements of the Improvement Special Assessment Ordinance are met, including requiring the Property Owner to enter into an Assessment Agreement. On ground-leased property, therefore, the special assessment and Special Assessment Lien encumber the fee interest in the property, not the ground leasehold.

Los Alamos County Council adopted the C-PACE Ordinance (No. 738(PDF, 429KB)) on February 25, 2025. The Ordinance became effective on April 5, 2025. 

Interested commercial entities should go to C-PACE New Mexico website for additional information and guidelines on how to apply.

An enhanced webpage specific to Los Alamos County C-PACE is forthcoming. 

An information session for Los Alamos County property owners and tenants will be April 22, 6-7p, at Project Y (150 Central Park Square). This will be a hybrid info session and the Zoom link will be provided soon.

A portion of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is targeted at providing homeowners, renters, multifamily residents, and commercial businesses with rebates and tax credits to incentivize energy efficiency upgrades.

Tax credit programming began in 2023. Some efficiency rebates are available as of September 2024. More efficiency rebates are anticipated through 2024-2025.

We will provide additional information on the IRA as it is released. 

Please visit our Inflation Reduction Act Information webpage

 for all the program information that we have compiled so far.

Energy Assessments

The DPU doesn't currently offer in-home energy assessments, but there are several resources available if a complete energy assessments from a professional isn't in the budget.

• ENERGY STAR Home Energy Yardstick walks you through a simple energy assessment and then provides a comprehensive variety of recommendations. https://www.energystar.gov/campaign/home-energy-yardstick
• Energy.gov also has steps to do a DIY audit. https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/do-it-yourself-home-energy-assessments
• DPU is building a collection of energy assessment tools in the Library of Things, a collaboration with the Los Alamos Public Library system. Library patrons can check out a Kill-A-Watt power meter or a thermal imaging camera from either public library. Pair these tools with the DIY Energy Assessment(PDF, 634KB) and get a better understanding of where your energy is going.
  

   

Calculating Appliance Energy Use

1. Estimate how many hours per day an appliance runs
2. Find the wattage of the appliance
3. Find the daily energy consumption using the following formula:
   • (Wattage × Hours Used Per Day) ÷ 1000 = Daily Kilowatt-hour (kWh) consumption
4. Find the annual energy consumption using the following formula:
   • Daily kWh consumption × number of days used per year = annual energy consumption
5. Find the annual cost to run the appliance using the following formula:
   • Annual energy consumption × utility rate per kWh = annual cost to run appliance

Energy.gov has a built-in Appliance Energy Calculator and can be a good estimating tool.

If you are looking at energy use for a stove, you'll have to look into the wattage ranges and either estimate usage for middle power settings or be content with minimum and maximum power energy usage.

Power Strips 101

Smart power strips are a thing now! They can add protection against power surges and help you save energy. Click here(PDF, 756KB) for a quick primer on the different types!

Vampire Energy

Have a lot of stuff plugged in to outlets? Standby power is the electric power wasted by these devices when not in use. Check out a fantastic graphic created by Save On Energy that shows the annual totals of common energy eaters. Click on the image below to see the whole thing.

(PNG, 189KB)

Dig into more at the Save On Energy website.

Tips for Cutting Your Energy Costs

• Wash clothes in cold water - 80-90% of the energy is used to heat the water alone.
• Use clothes lines - the low humidity could cut dry time in half versus the machine.
• Adjust thermostats, either manually or via a program. No sense in fully heating or cooling an empty home-- not even for Fido the dog or Spikey the houseplant.
• Use! Those! Shades. Close 'em in the summer and open them in the winter.
• Turn off TVs and computers when you are done using them.
• If you can't turn off your computer (updates done at night?), at least turn off the screen and see if you can set it to sleep mode.
• "For the last time" shut the fridge door!
• If supplementing heating with a space heater, DON'T use near a thermostat or its sensors. You will artificially make it sense that the entire house is warmer and your other rooms will feel very cold.
• Turn down the water heater (an ideal temp is 120F), but do your research first for possible background conditions.
• Maintain your HVAC system. The harder your system has to work, the more energy it's consuming.
• Seal off air leaks to the outside.
• Switch to LED light bulbs. Looking at all your bulbs and feeling overwhelmed? Start with five light fixtures in the most-used spaces. (Kitchen? Bathrooms? Living spaces?)
• When it come times to replace appliances, choose more energy-efficient models. Plan ahead for failures. Here's a great resource: EnergyStar.gov
• Evaluate your home or building's insulation levels.

Test drive the power of induction!

Curious about an alternative to natural gas or an upgrade to the standard electric cooktop? Induction cooking uses electromagnets to transfer energy directly to the pan placed on the cooktop surface, reducing cook time and giving you more time to do other things you love.

Induction heating:

• Is more powerful than gas stove heating
• Directs 90% of induction heat into your food by heating up the cookware and not the surrounding stove surface
• Is safer around pets and children since the heating element is never exposed while on
• Has better temperature control than other cooking methods, allowing for a transition from a rolling boil to a simmer in seconds
• Reduces indoor air pollution when compared to gas cooking
• Will run on clean energy as your DPU works toward becoming a carbon neutral power provider.

DPU customers may borrow cooktop kits for free!

Our customers can sign up for the Induction Cooktop Loaner Program so they can test drive the power of induction for themselves at home. Under the program, a customer may take a kit home for two weeks to get hands-on experience with cooking on an induction cooktop. This opportunity is great for anyone who has an aging range that they'd like to replace, who is considering a kitchen renovation, who might be interested in working toward carbon neutrality, or who is simply interested in trying out the technology.

The Induction Cooktop Loaner Program kits include:

• A portable single-burner induction cooktop
• A choice of an induction-ready pot, pan or wok
• Some colorful utensils
• User instructions
• A magnet to test other pots for induction readiness
• A nifty carrying case

Induction cooktops are also available for checkout from the Library of Things at Mesa Public Library and White Rock Branch Library!

Water usage doubles during the growing season in Los Alamos as homeowners, businesses and organizations attend to landscapes. The NMSU Cooperative Extension Office, located on Bathtub Row, is an excellent resource for all things landscaping.

(PDF, 239KB)

Water Rule W-8

In effect May 1 through September 30, the following outdoor watering schedule is implemented:

1. Water outdoor landscaping before 10am or after 5pm
2. Odd addresses irrigate on Sunday, Wednesday, Friday
3. Even addresses irrigate on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday

Other conservation tips:

• Use automatic shut-off nozzles on hoses.
• Prevent water waste (such as overflowing water onto sidewalks and streets).
• Use timers on hoses and sprinklers to prevent leaving water on excessively.
• Reevaluate irrigation schedule and needs.
• Clean driveways and sidewalks using a broom instead of water.
• Harvest rainwater or greywater for use later.
• Wash vehicles using a bucket or a commercial car wash instead of a running hose.

DPU's Water and Energy Conservation Plan

The Board of Public Utilities approves the DPU Water and Energy Conservation Plan. This comprehensive plan and the associated appendices can be found here

The time and effort spent on weatherizing your home can make a big impact and there are programs to assist with the costs. To find out more, click here for DPU's weatherization web page.