Fort Collins has a reputation as one of the most sustainability-focused cities in Colorado — it was one of the first cities in the state to adopt a Climate Action Plan and has maintained aggressive local carbon reduction goals since 2015. That context matters for Regulation 28, because Fort Collins building owners who’ve engaged with the city’s Sustainability Services programs likely have better 2021 baseline data than their peers in other markets.
That’s a real advantage heading into the December 31, 2027 performance deadline (for buildings 50,000–99,999 sq ft) and December 31, 2026 (for 100,000+ sq ft). Good baseline data means faster audits, cleaner pathway analysis, and fewer surprises.
Fort Collins Commercial Building Overview
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| City population | ~170,000 |
| Larimer County population | ~370,000 |
| Estimated covered buildings (50k+ sq ft) | 100–140 private commercial and institutional properties |
| Primary utility | Fort Collins Utilities (municipal, for electric) + Xcel Energy (for gas) |
| Local incentive programs | Fort Collins Utilities energy efficiency rebates + Xcel gas-side rebates |
| Major commercial areas | South College Avenue, Harmony Road corridor, Downtown Fort Collins |
| Key building types | Higher education, biotech/research, Class B office, multifamily, retail |
Colorado State University: The Biggest Building Owner in Larimer County
CSU’s main campus in central Fort Collins represents the single largest concentration of buildings above the Regulation 28 threshold in Larimer County. Academic buildings, research facilities, student centers, and the on-campus athletic complex all fall under the covered building definition.
CSU has been benchmarking its campus portfolio for years and has a formal sustainability office actively working toward carbon neutrality. However, benchmarking data and compliance documentation are different deliverables. CDPHE requires specific pathway declarations and audit documentation — not just Portfolio Manager reports.
Building owners managing CSU-adjacent or CSU-affiliated properties (research park facilities, off-campus housing managed by private entities) should verify whether their obligations run to CSU or to CDPHE directly.
The Harmony Road and South College Office Corridor
The stretch of Harmony Road from College Avenue east to I-25, and the South College Avenue commercial district, contains most of Fort Collins’ privately-owned large commercial buildings. The dominant types in this corridor:
Class B and C office parks built between 1985 and 2005, typically 30,000–80,000 sq ft per building. These properties carry aging packaged HVAC systems, below-current lighting controls, and often limited building automation. They represent strong candidates for Pathway 2 (EUI reduction from 2021 baseline) with ECMs that generate Fort Collins Utilities electric rebates and Xcel gas rebates simultaneously.
Retail anchors at Foothills Mall (currently under transformation) and along South College — big-box retail typically sits in the 80,000–150,000 sq ft range and faces the 2026 deadline. Retail EUI benchmarks are achievable for newer construction but challenging for older anchor stores with high lighting and HVAC loads.
Fort Collins Utilities vs. Xcel: The Dual-Utility Reality
Fort Collins operates a municipal electric utility, but natural gas is provided by Xcel Energy. This means a Fort Collins building owner has two separate incentive programs to navigate for electric vs. gas-side improvements.
Fort Collins Utilities’ Commercial Efficiency Program offers rebates for LED lighting, HVAC efficiency upgrades, and building controls. Xcel’s commercial programs cover gas-side improvements: boiler upgrades, heat recovery, building envelope work.
We identify rebate opportunities from both utilities as part of every Fort Collins engagement — and the combined Xcel + Fort Collins Utilities rebate stack can materially reduce the cost of compliance-driven improvements.
Biotech and Research: Growing Presence Along the I-25 Corridor
Northern Colorado has seen growth in bioscience and advanced manufacturing along the I-25 corridor between Fort Collins and Loveland. Several companies with buildings above 50,000 sq ft have located there — including Woodward Inc.’s large manufacturing campus, which is both publicly traded and subject to increasing ESG scrutiny in addition to Regulation 28.
For manufacturing and R&D buildings with process loads, Pathway 4 (GHG reduction) often represents the most achievable pathway given process energy constraints.
Building Types We Audit in Fort Collins
- CSU-affiliated research, lab, and academic support buildings
- Office parks along Harmony Road and the South College corridor
- Retail anchors and strip centers on South College Avenue and Harmony Road
- Multifamily residential developments in the University Hill and Midtown areas
- Manufacturing and R&D facilities in the I-25 Northern Colorado corridor
- Healthcare and medical office buildings near Poudre Valley Hospital and UCHealth’s Fort Collins campus
A Note on Fort Collins Climate Programs
Fort Collins city buildings are subject to local energy reporting requirements independent of Regulation 28. Private building owners within city limits should check with Fort Collins Sustainability Services to confirm whether any local programs overlap with CDPHE requirements — in some cases, data already collected for local programs satisfies part of the Regulation 28 benchmarking obligation.
Request a Fort Collins audit quote →
Our audits for Fort Collins buildings are flat-fee, starting at $6,999. We handle utility data collection from both Fort Collins Utilities and Xcel Energy as part of every engagement.