Cool Cities

Construction Industries Commission spent it rolling back energy savings for New Mexicans

The cost of owning a new home just increased for New Mexicans

April 25 - Albuquerque, NM – The New Mexico Construction Industries Commission celebrated Earth Day on Friday by voting to start the process of rolling back the NM Energy Conservation Code - in an apparent bid to appease what some called a "push from industries" in New Mexico. At its April 22nd meeting, the state commission voted unanimously and with little comment to begin the process of public hearings required to amend the code back to the bare minimum required by federal standards.
Click here to listen to the recording of Tammy Fiebelkorn of SWEEP and Kim Shanahan, ED of the Santa Fe Home Builders Association, discussing this issue on the May 14 edition of Green Talk Radio with Faren Dancer on KTRC 1260AM.

Update: This bill was killed in the Senate Conservation Committee on March 1.

Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) is leading efforts to increase energy usage transparency in commercial buildings to unlock opportunities to create jobs and reduce energy costs for businesses. This bill gives tenants and investors the right to know the energy rating for a commercial building before completing a lease or sale transaction, ensuring they can compare the energy efficiency of buildings.

The Rio Grande Chapter of the Sierra Club and the Coalition for Clean Affordable Energy are also major supporters of this bill in the 2011 NM Legislature. Senator Carlos Cisneros is the sponsor for the bill.

In 1Q 2009, David Van Winkle and Dexter Coolidge of the Northern New Mexico Group of the Sierra Club met with Santa Fe Mayor David Coss, City of Santa Fe City Councilors and Santa Fe County Commissioners to convince them to use renewable energy for the Buckman water project. It became a reality last week.

On Earth Day, members, friends, and other organizations’ representatives filled the Rio Grande Chapter/Southern Group office for the first organizational meeting of the Cool Cities Las Cruces campaign. City Councilor Olga Pedroza also participated.

Everyone has a mechanical inspection prior to buying a house to insure that the dishwasher works. Everyone should also have an energy audit to insure that the house works properly. It will save you $1000’s.

Dexter Coolidge, Northern New Mexico Group Conservation Chair, reports on his energy audit that he had completed prior to his investments in solar thermal and solar PV...

Oct. 20, 2009 - Louise Pape, Vice Chair of the Sustainable Santa Fe Commission, led a workshop for the Northern New Mexico Group titled “One Trash Can per Year.”