Climate Mitigation from a Renter-Centered Perspective: A Case Study of Boulder's SmartRegs Program

My thesis is a renter-centered analysis of the City of Boulder’s SmartRegs rental energy efficiency standards, as a policymaking process that purports to address both climate and housing issues simultaneously, rather than one at the expense of the other. This focus on renters starts from the premise that housing and climate justice should be about the people most impacted. My preliminary findings indicate that, despite nearly all rental units meeting the SmartRegs’ basic energy efficiency requirements, SmartRegs did not result in improved tenant comfort and lower utility bills, as promised by the City of Boulder. I argue that SmartRegs was predominantly a carbon-focused policy to reduce emissions in rental buildings, rather than a renter-centered policy that improved housing quality issues or affordability for renters. I recommend that cities like Toronto learn from Boulder and proactively include renters in policymaking processes and protect them against unaffordable housing and local climate impacts.