PowerUp: City of Las Cruces hosts expo to guide commercial, residential charge into all-electric

The overarching goal of PowerUp Las Cruces is to “usher in energy transition,” said City of Las Cruces Sustainability Officer Lisa LaRocque.

The two-day energy expo is 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 20, and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21, at the Las Cruces Convention Center, 680 E. University Ave.

Here is the schedule:

• Friday, Jan. 20: Professional training sessions and expo early bird, $20 registration fee. Training for local and regional business professionals on electricity topics. 8 a.m.-5 p.m.: Training; noon-1 p.m.: lunch and ribbon cutting (U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., is expected to attend); noon-5 p.m.: public expo; 4:30-6:30 p.m. reception.
• Saturday, Jan. 21: Expo and residential training sessions, free and open to the public, no registration required. Training: to be determined; expo: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Note: The expo, noon-5 p.m. on Friday, is also open to the public.

PowerUp will include about 45 exhibitors along with workshops and industry training.

Jan. 20 workshops will cover heat pumps, sustainability at New Mexico State University, residential and commercial solar energy, transitioning the City of Las Cruces fleet to all electric, all-electric homes, electric vehicles and charging and electrification opportunities for economic development.

Industry training topics on Jan. 20 will be building electrification, building codes, heat pumps, grid and building load capacity and financing energy upgrades.

Energy efficiency strategies will reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 10-20 percent, LaRocque told the Las Cruces City Council in November. She said using electricity will accelerate that reduction and “improve resiliency in buildings.”  

Industry training will help the local construction industry “wrap their heads around” energy transition, LaRocque said. They will focus on new building technologies, new building codes and funding, including local, state and federal rebates, and are divided into “Free Style,” “10,000 Foot View” and “30,000 Foot View,” to “reach all levels of the construction industry,” LaRocque said.

The expo will focus on myth vs. fact in energy transition and the costs and cost reductions of partly or fully converting to electric.

“I think we are taking a very comprehensive approach,” LaRocque said.

For more information, visit https://meetinlascruces.com/powerup-expo-training/.