The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) this week announced Westminster, Colorado, will receive a $180,000 Source Reduction Assistance grant to kickstart pollution prevention efforts in the community.

According to an EPA news release, the city will use the money to provide heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) improvements and energy assessments for local businesses, which can reduce greenhouse emissions and improve energy efficiency in buildings. EPA regional administrator KC Becker added in the release that efforts on the local, state and national level can help slow the effects of climate change.

“This grant will provide energy and cost savings to businesses in Westminster, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and the data collected from this project will provide valuable information for other organizations and government agencies considering energy efficiency projects,” Becker said in the release.

Moreover, the EPA, according to Becker, applauded the efforts of the city to work with local businesses to cut emissions and offered kudos for receiving the grant to fund these efforts.

Westminster deputy city manager Jody Andrews pointed out in the EPA release that the funds will enable the city to kick off a program to provide HVAC help, noting that with the money, the city can start a program to provide financial and technical assistance to owners of large commercial buildings to upgrade HVAC systems to cut energy use.

“This project will help Westminster businesses save money on new, efficient equipment and reduce their utility bills while supporting the city’s mission to foster economic resilience for our community,” Andrews said. 

According to the EPA release, the project will focus on about 115 large commercial buildings in the city that are required to report annual building energy use data in accordance with the State of Colorado’s Building Performance Colorado (BPC) program.