Energy company offering rebates for efficient homes to its Marshall Fire victims

The 2012 Waldo Canyon Fire was Colorado's costliest at nearly half a billion dollars until the Black Forest Fire the next year surpassed that. In October, 2020 the East Troublesome Fire incinerated nearly 200,000 acres of mixed timber and grass becoming the second largest wildfire ever recorded in Colorado. 

Were they accidents, pyroterrorism, or a lone psychopath deploying weaponized wildfire? 

It was believed early that downed power lines caused the Marshall Fire in Boulder County, now the state's most destructive blaze and claims for damage are now over two billion dollars. That firestorm nearly a year ago forced the evacuation of tens of thousands and evaporated over a thousand homes but Xcel Energy insists it isn't at fault and the cause still hasn't been determined. 

Utilities, insurers, county commissions, lenders and developers need to be held accountable for building tinder boxes packed so closely together that homeowners can see into each others bathrooms.

Rooftop solar is the future while burying vulnerable power lines is so last century.

As Rocky Mountain PBS showed you in “Colorado Voices: Building Better after the Marshall Fire,” several families in Boulder County are clearing their ashen rubble with the intention of building a home that is not only more eco-friendly, but also more fire resistant. By building structures like Passive Houses, for example, homeowners can lessen their footprint, as the homes are 75% more energy efficient than average new builds. Passive Houses also offer health and safety benefits. The structures are air-tight and include advanced air filtration systems that improve indoor air quality — a major plus in a state with worsening air quality — and the sidings are often made of fire-resistant material. The Colorado Energy Office and Xcel energy are offering thousands of dollars in rebates for people who build to this standard. The rebates increase in value based on how energy-efficient a home is. For example, people rebuilding a home to Passive House standards can receive up to $37,500 in rebates from Xcel. [As rebuilds begin, Marshall Fire victims eye energy efficient homes]

Counties should be able to fine property owners who fail to create defensible space or clear dry fuels. Well-funded local and volunteer fire departments could conduct prescribed fires and burn road ditches to create buffers where contract fire specialists don’t exist. 

Learn more at the Colorado Newsline.

Check out this storymap about the 2021 Marshall Fire! It’s a is a Facilitated Learning Analysis from the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center.https://t.co/V5Y3HB5EaL

Image Credit: Boulder County, CO pic.twitter.com/QRFweVvVIE

— National Interagency Fire Center (@NIFC_Fire) October 29, 2022