FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 4, 2025
MEDIA CONTACT: Ali Hameed
ali.hameed@sunstonestrategies.org
201.285.9649
New Mexico Roadmap delivers recommendations to
decarbonize residential and small commercial buildings by 2050
More than 20 government, utility, business, and nonprofit stakeholders chart a path to create affordable, comfortable, healthy, efficient, and resilient homes for all New Mexicans
Albuquerque, N.M. — Today, a collection of 26 governmental bodies, utilities, companies, and other organizations released the New Mexico Building Decarbonization Roadmap. This Roadmap lays out recommendations to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions and pollution from New Mexico’s residential and small commercial buildings by 2050. By following these recommendations, New Mexico can create affordable, comfortable, healthy, efficient, and resilient homes for all its residents while prioritizing low-income, disadvantaged, and Tribal communities.
“The Building Decarbonization Coalition applauds the committed work of these diverse stakeholders, as they came together to develop recommendations that will positively affect New Mexicans where they work and live,” said Holly Harris, senior regional manager with the Building Decarbonization Coalition. “By implementing the priority building decarbonization actions and recommendations described in this Roadmap over the next few years, we can help New Mexicans be healthier and more comfortable and help many of them save some money on their energy bills.”
The Roadmap identifies six priority actions for advancing building decarbonization:
- Developing on-bill financing options to help reduce upfront costs faced by consumers when purchasing electric appliances;
- Prioritizing cash incentives at the point of sale;
- Providing free training on building decarbonization technologies to tradespeople;
- Strengthening gas planning at the Public Regulation Commission to enable a future clean heat standard;
- Exploring beneficial electrification rate design that can lower electric costs for households; and,
- Supporting grid modernization efforts and distribution system upgrades.
“This roadmap lays out a clear pathway for policymakers to ensure New Mexico’s buildings are healthier, safer, and more energy efficient,” said Alexis Mena, New Mexico policy director at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council). “The data speaks for itself: by lowering the upfront costs of adopting clean energy technology, tools like cash incentives for customers and smart grid modernization will shape a sustainable future for families and communities across our state.”
The Roadmap identifies several actors that will be critical to achieving the recommendations, including governmental officials, utilities, educational and training institutions, environmental organizations, state agencies, and manufacturers and vendors. Read the full report at NMbuildingdecarb.org.
The following entities participated in the development of the Roadmap:
350 New Mexico, Advanced Energy United, Center for Civic Policy, City of Albuquerque, Coalition for Clean Affordable Energy, Coalition of Sustainable Communities New Mexico, El Paso Electric, Housing New Mexico MFA, Kit Carson Electric Cooperative, New Mexico Attorney General’s Office, New Mexico Climate Investment Center, New Mexico Department of Finance Administration, New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department, New Mexico Home Solutions, New Mexico People’s Energy Cooperative, New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department, New Mexico Rural Electric Cooperative Association, Prosperity Works, Public Service Company of New Mexico, Rheem, Renewable Energy Industries Association of New Mexico, Sierra Club, Southwest Energy Efficiency Project, Southwestern Public Service Company, an Xcel Energy company, Tri-State Generation & Transmission Association, and Western Resource Advocates. (Staff from the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission joined the stakeholder meetings solely in a consulting capacity.)
In addition to these participants, the Building Decarbonization Coalition and NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) sponsored the project, and Gridworks facilitated the stakeholder process.
The Roadmap includes the following acknowledgement:
“This Roadmap represents a starting point and a collective expression of shared views by participating organizations rather than an account of each organization’s position on every issue. Although there may not be full alignment on each issue contained herein, participating organizations agree the Roadmap provides a reasonable foundation upon which to accelerate the elimination of operational greenhouse gas emissions from residential and small commercial buildings in New Mexico.”
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