Statewide LG EE Best Practices: Weekly Update

Here are your wEEkly Updates:

News and Opportunities

Targeted Process Evaluation of the Local Government Partnership (LGP) Program
Research into Action (RIA), SCE's consultant preparer, has been for over a year working to craft this study to address three primary subjects: developing new useful criteria to organize and group similar LGPs for the purpose of more easily evaluating the diverse sector; shedding light on the effectiveness of LGP muni retrofits; and further building our body of knowledge on LGP strategic-plan projects. A webinar is being conducted on 11/8 (see calendar section). Comments are due November 16, 2016 via http://www.energydataweb.com/cpuc/search.aspx.

Energy Department Recognizes UC Berkeley for Leadership in Campus-Wide Energy Innovations
As part of the Obama Administration's effort to cut energy waste in the nation's university buildings and facilities, the Energy Department's Better Buildings Challenge program recognized University of California, Berkeley for its leadership in energy efficiency.

First-of-its-Kind Energy Storage Project
Advanced Microgrid Solutions and the Inland Empire Utilities Agency (IEUA) launched a landmark water-energy project using advanced energy storage systems to better integrate renewable power, reduce demand on the electric grid and lower costs. The project further enables IEUA to protect its customers while addressing the link between water and the energy needed to process and transport it.

Will California Drivers Get in Electric Cars to Save $13.5 Billion?
A new report (see resource section) indicates that a shift to electric cars and other zero-emission vehicles could save Californians $13.5 billion in health and climate costs by 2050.

USDA Investing More Than $300M in Efficiency, Renewables
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is investing more than $300 million in projects aimed at increasing use of renewables and energy efficiency options for small businesses through their Rural Energy for America (REAP) program.

​Job Opportunity: Energy and Sustainability Analyst, County of Sonoma
The Sonoma County General Services Department seeks a qualified professional to become an Energy and Sustainability (ES) Analyst in their ES Division. Under general direction, the ES analyst plans, develops, coordinates, and implements ES Division customer project support efforts; provides project selection technical support, energy and water evaluation and analysis, and project financing resources; and is responsible for collecting and analyzing data and reporting results. Applications due November 14, 2016.

Calendar

​11/1 (webinar) A Recipe for Award-Winning Online Community Engagement
This highly visual 45-minute webinar will present research findings, proven best practices, practical tips and award-winning case studies to guide agencies towards the successful application of online community engagement for planning projects. Participants will walk away with an understanding about how to leverage digital engagement to achieve unprecedented results using cost-effective tools.​

11/2 (San Francisco / dial-in) Coordinating Committee Meeting #11
This meeting is your opportunity to discuss the PA's visions and strategies for achieving maximum cost-effective savings and transforming markets over the next 10 years. The Business Plans set the groundwork for future programs and Implementation Plans.

11/3 (webinar) Boom Chika Boom: Demand Response and Behavior Change
A peer exchange call to discuss demand response and the most effective ways to change behaviors to improve residential energy efficiency.

11/7 (Sacramento / webcast) Workshop on 2030 Target Scoping Plan Update
This workshop will discuss policy scenarios and associated reductions; the Natural and Working Lands Sector, including carbon sequestration scenario modeling and ARB's Natural and Working Lands inventory; and public health implications of climate change and mitigation policies.

11/8 (webinar) Targeted Process Evaluation of the LGP Program
This webinar is to discuss the study background and goals, methods, and findings paired with conclusions and recommendations. 

11/16 (Berkeley) ZNE Workshop for Local Governments
This six-hour workshop will support local governments working to integrate state goals to achieve zero net energy (ZNE) buildings. Learn about examples, emerging trends, new programs and tools to support local government ZNE policy and plan development.

How to add this calendar to your calendar:
ICAL link - https://calendar.google.com/calendar/ical/lgc.org_dg52rqmsdcshehvud8nqge2aj4%40group.calendar.google.com/public/basic.ics

• Google instructions
• Outlook instructions
• If you have any issues, feel free to reach out to me at jkim@lgc.org.

​Resources and Reports

Practical Guide to Transforming Energy Data into Better Buildings​
This guide uses the lifecycle of energy data as a framework to help you understand what and when data can be collected, and how to best evaluate the data for meaningful insights. The lifecycle follows through the following path: understanding where the data is coming from; aggregating the different data sources; transforming data into actionable insights; taking insights-driven actions; using data to track and evaluate results; leveraging energy insights beyond building management; and 8 steps to get started today.

Clean Air Future: Health and Climate Benefits of Zero Emission Vehicles
This report was produced by the American Lung Association in California to illustrate the billions of dollars in health and other societal damages caused by passenger vehicle pollution today, and to highlight the benefits of the ongoing transition to zero emission technologies across the passenger vehicle fleet.

​Electric Company Smart Meter Deployments: Foundation for a Smart Grid
This report describes how electric companies are using smart meter data today to improve grid operations, integrate distributed energy resources, provide customer services, and support innovative pricing. It also describes the growing importance of the distribution system.​

Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE)
DSIRE is a comprehensive source of information on incentives and policies that support renewable energy and energy efficiency organized by state.

Statewide LG EE Best Practices: Weekly Update

1. Opportunity to influence EE program design: The new EE Coordinating Committee, authorized by CPUC Decision 15-10-028, held its second set of meetings earlier this week, laying out a timeline for this year’s stakeholder review of Program Administrator (PA) business plans by sector, and hearing presentations from the PAs on residential and commercial sector plans. (For those new to the term “Program Administrator”, these are California’s investor-owned utilities and other organizations such as SoCalREN and MCE entrusted with funding for energy efficiency programming.)  Meetings to review PA plans for the public sector will be held the week of March 14th (exact date tbd). These meetings are a great opportunity to provide feedback as local governments on the utility/REN/other energy efficiency program development and structure. If you would like more information on these meetings, or to see past meeting documents, please email me or contact meeting co-chair Lara Ettenson at NRDC directly (lettenson@nrdc.org).

 2. ACEEE released some interesting stories this week. The first is a response to Bill Gates’s interview in The Atlantic, in which he again shares that we need innovation, not just insulation. While new technology developments are absolutely critical, ACEEE points out that energy efficiency has provided foundational benefits on its own, and will continue to be an interdependent (and often more cost-effective) partner with renewable developments. Read the ACEEE story in full here.

 3. ACEEE also released a paper focusing on the role of energy efficiency in achieving the goals of U.S. Clean Power Plan. The paper is available here on ACEEE’s website.

 4. LGC’s CivicSpark is holding a webinar on March 9th from 9:30-10:30AM that might be of interest to those of you working on community-focused energy programming. The presentation by Dr. Kat Donnelly, the CEO and Founder of Empower Efficiency, is on Social Media Marketing specifically targeted at community-scale energy and environment outreach programs. To learn more, click here.

 5. Developments in automated demand response (ADR) technology: Smart home energy automator OhmConnect announces breakthrough methods for enabling smart home devices (including wifi thermostats, smart plugs, home automation systems, and EV chargers) to generate recurring revenue streams by intelligently controlling device charging when electricity is less costly.  To learn more, click here for the press release.

 6. The U.S. Department of Energy has released the annual Better Buildings Alliance Winter 2016 Progress Update, full of resources for local governments and building professionals alike. Prominently featured are plug load management strategies, demand controlled ventilation (DCV) and use tips for Energy Management Systems (EMS). 

 Plug load in particular is getting a lot of attention as the fastest growing building electricity consumer – for more plug load management background and resources, click here.

7. The Western Riverside Council of Governments (WRCOG) is soliciting firms to conduct a Study to explore the potential for a Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) Program in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. The RFP is available on WRCOG’s website and is open until 3/17.

 8. Applications are open for POCACITO in Germany: the Ecologic Institute invites you to apply to take a trip to Germany as part of the upcoming 2016 POCACITO in Germany program (June 18th-24th) to explore first hand how German cities are transitioning to become post-carbon cities. Participation from cities and regional governments is particularly encouraged.  Learn more on the POCACITO website, here.

 9. Job announcement: the Port of San Diego has several open energy and sustainability focused jobs, including a Program Manager, Energy & Sustainability, and a Senior Environmental Specialist. Learn more here.

 10. Job announcement: The SF Department of Environment is hiring for a Climate Program Manager! The new Climate Program Manager will lead the development of a strategic vision for the integration of Climate and Systems programming (Green Building, EcoDistricts) within the Department of Environment. Click here for more information.

As always, you can keep track of relevant events by connecting to the EE Events Calendar, and find more resources on the EECoordinator website. 

That is all for this week!