March 2025 Updates
Stakeholders are Developing a Coalition to Implement State’s New Building Decarbonization Roadmap
Following publication of the Building Decarbonization Roadmap, stakeholders told BDC they want to develop a new coalition focused on achieving the goals laid out in the Roadmap. BDC will be convening and helping coordinate the coalition effort.
Public Regulation Commission Initiates Formal Rulemaking on Grid Modernization
The Public Regulation Commission formally launched the process (DOCKET NO. 22-00089-UT) to promulgate a new rule at Title 17, Chapter 9, Part 587 of the New Mexico Administrative Code entitled “Grid Modernization and Integrated Distribution Planning.” Grid modernization is needed due to changing factors influencing electric supplies and demands, including building decarbonization and increasing levels of rooftop solar and electric vehicles. The state regulators hope that a rulemaking process will provide utilities the guidance and oversight necessary to smooth the transition.
February 2025 Updates
A diverse group of stakeholders released the New Mexico Building Decarbonization Roadmap, outlining a collective expression of policy recommendations to accelerate the decarbonization of residential and small commercial buildings by 2050 to create affordable, comfortable, healthy, efficient, and resilient homes for all New Mexicans.
The Roadmap is the culmination of a roughly year-long stakeholder process conducted in 2024 by a collection of 26 government, utility, business, and nonprofit stakeholders. The Roadmap aims to:
- Increase public awareness of building decarbonization;
- Increase the decarbonization value;
- Strengthen the contractor value proposition;
- Establish state policies that better incentivize building decarbonization; and,
- Prepare the state’s electrical grid and housing stock for future electrification.
The Roadmap identifies six priorities for decarbonizing New Mexico’s buildings (in addition to other recommendations):
- Develop on-bill financing/repayment options to reduce upfront equipment costs;
- Prioritize cash incentives at point of sale;
- Provide free training on building decarbonization technologies to licensed tradespeople;
- Strengthen gas planning at the Public Regulation Commission to enable a future clean heat standard;
- Explore beneficial electrification rate design at the Public Regulation Commission; and,
- Support grid modernization efforts and distribution system upgrades.