CAEECC

Statewide LG EE Best Practices: Weekly Update

Here are your wEEkly updates:

Request for ZNE Resources

The Local Government Commission through SEEC is developing a robust toolkit for local governments on zero net energy. The toolkit aims to compile valuable resources and case studies in a single location in an easy to navigate, interactive online format. If you have come across any ZNE-related resources of particular value, please share it with me at jkim@lgc.org.

News and Opportunities

How Locals Can Continue Momentum on Climate Change
While we face serious questions about the potential effects of changes in legislative and budgetary support for environmental action in California, we can draw inspiration and implementation lessons from local models to continue progress toward a low-carbon and resilient future.

GREEN and EEFA Develop 2017 Priorities for EE, Water, and Renewables
Sixty leaders from housing, energy, environmental, and workforce development organizations gathered in LA and AF to help the California Housing Partnerhip's Green Rental Home EE Network (GREEN), NRDC, and EE for All (EEFA) partners set priorities for 2017.

COP22: Key Outcomes Agreed at the UN Climate Talks in Marrakech
When negotiators from almost 200 countries arrived in Marrakech for the latest annual climate change conference, COP22, it was being touted as an opportunity to showcase progress and start the important process of turning the UN's Paris Agreement into a detailed blueprint for action.
Job Opportunity: Sustainability Coordinator, City of American Canyon
The City of American Canyon is hiring for a Sustainability Coordinator to help with water conservation efforts, citywide sustainability programs, and outreach related to these programs. Applications due December 9, 2016.

Job Opportunity: Senior Program Director, Sierra Business Council
Sierra Business Council (SBC) is hiring for a Senior Program Director to assume the responsibilities of day-to-day leadership and management of SBC's current and future programs as they relate to energy efficiency and climate planning. Position open until filled.
Calendar
Click the Calendar link to view all upcoming events.

12/7 (Oakland) CA EE Coordinating Committee Meeting
Agenda items include planning for 2017 activities and subcommittee functions, discussion and review of proposals, review of implementation plan development process, and more.

12/13 (San Francisco / remote) Quarterly EE EM&V Stakeholder Meeting
Join the CPUC for the upcoming Quarterly Energy Efficiency EM&V Stakeholder Meeting. Please propose agenda topics to Syreeta Gibbs at syg@cpuc.ca.gov by COB December 7, 2016. Agenda topics proposed so far include: 1) Review of the EM&V Masterplan, 2) CPUC and Program Administrator Update on EM&V Budgets and Activities, and 3) M&V 2.0 case studies presentation.

1/25-1/26 (Sacramento) California Climate Change Symposium 2017
This forum aims to share cutting-edge research addressing the impacts of climate change on the state to inform the state's strategies and policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to develop programs to safeguard California from a changing climate.

2/2/17 (St. Louis, MO) New Partners for Smart Growth Conference
Early-bird registration has been extended to December 16th  for the 2017 New Partners for Smart Growth Conference. This conference is the nation's largest smart growth and sustainability event and has been named one of 12 conferences not to miss by Planetizen.

​Resources and Reports

Driving High Performance: Role of Codes & Permitting in Zero Net Energy
Learn how local jurisdictions are getting ahead of upcoming ZNE mandates in California and find out how end users are using streamlined permitting and reach codes to drive high performance.

Volkswagen California ZEV Investment Commitment Workshop Presentation
PowerPoint slides that will be presented at a public workshop today, where interested stakeholder will have the opportunity to provide suggestions for Volkswagen's $800 million 10-year zero emission vehicle investment commitment in California.\

2016 Legislative Update
Legislative update of key climate- and energy-related bills passed in the 2016 legislative session.



And that's all for this week! 




Statewide LG EE Best Practices: Weekly Update

Here are your wEEkly updates:

News and Opportunities

DOE Scaling Up the Next Generation of Building Efficiency Packages Program - $6.5 million
DOE is making available funding to drive innovation in real building technology demonstrations while fostering the collaboration of dynamic demonstration teams that include technology providers, energy organizations, efficient building hubs, utilities, and building professionals. Eligible entities include State, local, and tribal governments. Concept papers due November 21, 2016 (full application due February 21, 2017).

Upcoming Deadlines for California Energy Efficiency Coordinating Committee
Comments on revision 3 to proposed Conflict of Interest Policy due today; comments on Business Plans (except SCE's) due November 21; Comments on the topic list for the Policy Letter and Comparison Document due November 29; comments on deferred elements of draft BPs due November 30; and comments on SCE's draft BP due December 1.

2018 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC)
There are few key proposals on International Code Council's ballot that will boost efficiency, and nearly all of them will require a two-thirds majority to make it into the 2018 update of America's model energy code. The most significant residential proposal, RE 179 Builder Flex points, will achieve the modest 5% efficiency gain endorsed by the US Conference of Mayors. Check out Energy Efficient Code Coalition's voting guide here. Vote by November 22, 2016.

Cap-and-Trade Draft Funding Guidelines Supplement
ARB published draft guidelines for agencies administering Cap-and-Trade Auction Proceeds. The purpose of this supplement is to provide disadvantaged community investment targets, criteria for how to determine whether proposed projects provide benefits to disadvantaged communities, and guidance on reporting requirements. Comments due December 6, 2016.
Job Opportunity: City of El Cerrito
The City of El Cerrito is hiring for the position Management Analyst II in the Public Works Department - Operations and Environmental Services Division. This position is assigned to difficult and complex assignments in management and budgetary analysis requiring a high degree of knowledge of City, administrative, and budgetary policies, practices and techniques. Applications due December 7, 2016.

Job Opportunity: County of Sonoma
The Sonoma County General Services Department seeks a qualified bilingual (English & Spanish) professional to become an Information and Communication Analyst in their Energy and Sustainability Division. The analyst will plan, develop, coordinate, and implement Energy and Sustainability Division information, communication, education, and marketing efforts and act as the division spokesperson in dealing with the media and community groups. Applications due December 8, 2016.


Calendar

12/1 (webinar) America's Next Top Energy Model: Tools and Best Practices
A peer exchange call through DOE's Better Buildings Challenge to see which energy models will be strutting their stuff down their runway.

12/8 (Fresno) Energy Efficiency Contractor and Customer Financing and Implementation Workshop
Register now for a morning seminar and complimentary networking lunch for an information-packed workshop offering powerful financing tools for contractors and their customers. Learn about the new On-Bill Financing Alternative pathway, bridge financing for OBF contractors, additional funding options, and developments in the Trade Pro Alliance program.

2/2/17 (St. Louis, MO) New Partners for Smart Growth Conference
Early-bird registration is now available through November 30th for the 2017 New Partners for Smart Growth Conference. This conference is the nation's largest smart growth and sustainability event and has been named one of 12 conferences not to miss by Planetizen.

5/5/17 (Long Beach) The Business of Local Energy Symposium - Community Choice Energy: It's All About Impact
Save the date and join CCE experts and local government leaders from across the state in Spring 2017 for a day-long event about accelerating CCA adoption and creating more benefits for local communities. Registration opens in early February.


​Resources and Reports

Making the Best of the Second-Best: Welface Consequences of Time-Varying Electricity Prices
This research paper from the Energy Institute at Haas estimates the impacts of peak pricing on the commercial and industrial sector, discuses long-run investment efficiency in electricity markets, and provides second-best pricing policies under capacity constraints.

State Energy Efficiency Resource Standards
An ACEEE policy Brief from May 2016 highlighting twenty-five states that are currently implementing Energy Efficiency Resource Standards policies requiring electricity savings.



And that's all for this week! Enjoy your Thanksgiving break!




Statewide LG EE Best Practices: Weekly Update

Here are your wEEkly updates:

1. Coordinator transition (and job announcement!): For those that missed it last week: I will be leaving my position as your Statewide Local Government Energy Efficiency Best Practices next week, and so this is my last set of WEEkly Updates to you. In the interim, the Updates will continue via Julia Kim (jkim@lgc.org). It’s been a real pleasure working to connect you all with best practices, resources – and to each other! LGC is actively recruiting to fill the Coordinator position, posted here – please share widely with friends and colleagues.

2. Joint Agency Microgrid Commercialization Workshop 9/6: The CEC, CPUC, and CAISO will conduct a workshop on September 6th to learn about California customers’ microgrid implementation strategies and challenges with a focus on energy resiliency, renewable integration, costs/benefits performance, lessons learned, how cyber-security is being addressed and efforts to commercialize microgrids in California.

3. Joint IOU Webinar on LGP Project Reporting 9/7: PG&E, SCE, SCG and SDG&E will jointly host a statewide webinar 9/7 to review improvements to semi-annual data reporting and communication related to Local Government Partnership activities supporting the California Long Term Energy Efficiency Strategic Plan. Local Government Partnership reporting leads, and Local Governments conducting Strategic Plan support activity as part of a Local Government Partnership, are encouraged to attend.

4. Cap and Trade $$ Deal Passes Legislature: In the final hours of the legislative session, a last minute deal to release cap and trade funding was passed this week for transportation, housing, green space, and low/no-emissions vehicles.
5. New EE Municipal Policy in Santa Barbara County: Congratulations to Santa Barbara County, who has just passed a comprehensive new “County of Santa Barbara Energy Efficiency Standards Policy for County Owned and Leased Facilities” covering staff training, energy metering and reporting, zero net energy requirements for new construction, and more.

6. Updates from the CAEECC: Read the latest updates from the California Energy Efficiency Coordinating Committee, a committee that engages interested stakeholders in the process that energy efficiency ratepayer funding Program Administrators (PG&E, SCE, SCG, SDG&E, BayREN, SoCalREN, and MCE) are going through to plan energy efficiency goals, strategies, and programming under the new rolling portfolio cycle. (Not familiar with the CAEECC, or need background? FAQs and other resources are available.)

7. EE Compliance Resources: The California Energy Commission (CEC) has released Acceptance Test Technician Certification Provider (ATTCP) and Home Energy Rating System (HERS) reference cards, designed to quickly identify when acceptance testing or verification is required and how to find approved providers.

8. $$ for Air Sensor Best Practices, Tribal Clean Energy, and More: Check out the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s September newsletter for state and local governments for new funding announcements and climate change resources.

9. CEC Funding Announcement for Existing Building EE Innovations: The California Energy Commission (CEC) has recently released a $20 million solicitation for innovative large-scale development and demonstration projects that reduce electricity consumption in existing buildings. The solicitation is designed to accelerate the adoption of pre-commercial electricity saving technologies for existing government buildings; colleges, universities and K-12 schools; privately owned buildings; and facilities on military installations.

10. Attention emerging tech innovators: Know great cleantech innovators? Prospect Silicon Valley (ProspectSV) and its partners are seeking pre-commercial products and solutions from global clean technology innovators for energy efficiency, energy recovery and renewable energy solutions for potential inclusion in two state-funded demonstrations in San Francisco.

11. EE Facility Manager Decision Making: Looking for compelling resources to engage facility managers on energy efficiency? A new report from Ecova’s 2016 Energy and Sustainability Outlook Survey offers insight into how Facility Managers are prioritizing energy, water, and waste efficiency initiatives in light of the forces at work in today’s market. Learn how awareness of low/no-cost savings opportunities, and projections of energy pricing, are playing key roles in this article from Environmental Leader.

12. New EV research, news from other states: New studies from Navigant project that light duty plug-in electric vehicles (EVs) will make up half of the global EV market by 2024 – and that pairing deployment with smart grid technologies is critical. Get more coverage of these reports, and EV news from other states from UtilityDive.

13. Job Announcement: The San Diego International Airport is hiring for a highly-motivated individual to join its Environmental Affairs Department as an Environmental Specialist.

As always, you can keep track of relevant events by connecting to the EE Events Calendar, and find more resources being added daily on the EECoordinator website – including past WEEkly Updates.


That’s all for this week!







Statewide LG EE Best Practices: Weekly Update

Here are your wEEkly updates:

1. Cap and trade news: On Tuesday, Governor Brown announced a plan led by the California Air Resources Board (ARB) to extend cap-and-trade beyond its current expiration in 2020, to 2050. Read the plan, or get overviews from Utility Dive and the Los Angeles Times.

2. AB 802/Benchmarking Developments: California Energy Commission (CEC) staff will conduct a public workshop to seek input on staff’s proposed draft regulations to implement the building energy use data access, benchmarking, and public disclosure provisions of Assembly Bill 802.

3. AB 802 Background: A prior CEC workshop on this was March 25th; a partial recap is available here. (Refresher on AB 802 available here.)

4. NBI’s October ZNE Forum: the New Buildings Institute’s “Getting to Zero” Zero Net Energy Forum this October 12th-14th. Click to learn more about topics and speakers, and register.

5. EE Coordinating Committee Updates: The CA EE Coordinating Committee (CAEECC) had their 7th meeting this week. The agenda, meeting documents, and how to participate in future meetings is available in this CAEECC Update summary.

6. $20M Available from Federal Agencies: Looking for funding? More than $20 million is available to state, local and tribal governments for climate change health impacts, coastal ecosystem resiliency, clean diesel, and climate and agriculture projects.

7. EE management motivators for business: Promoting energy management to your business community? This Environmental Leader article shares some leading reasons that the private sector is deepening their engagement in energy management - including market volatility, cost savings and public interest in sound climate and energy policies.

8. New technologies for ZNE: The California Energy Commission approved six grants July 13th focused on energy efficiency with $8 million awarded for technologies and measures designed to achieve zero net energy (ZNE) in new affordable housing and multifamily and commercial buildings.

9. More on zero net energy: At this year’s SEEC Forum, we asked California’s cities and counties to share with us how they are using innovative technologies to find deep energy savings in their buildings – and it turned out speakers wanted to speak to using technology and design to push toward a zero net energy goal. Learn more about their best practices shared in this CURRENTS article (and get a link to watch their Forum presentations online!).

10. Reaching the EJ Community: A number of cities are deepening their focus on environmental justice issues through the use of target “green zone” neighborhoods. Learn more about best practices in the use of green zones at this Statewide Green Zones Convening event July 28th in Los Angeles.

11. More on environmental justice and EE: For more on environmental justice best practices, see this recent CURRENTS article highlighting best practices shared by California EJ leaders (including why EE is a foundational EJ community engagement resource).

12. Sonoma and Woodlake Solar: Congratulations to Sonoma County and Tulare County’s Woodlake Unified School District for the approval of California Energy Commission (CEC) loans to install solar photovoltaics (PV) in their buildings.

13. Benefits from DERs: A new study overseen by the CEC in partnership with Southern California Edison finds over $300 million in benefits from distributed energy resources (DERs) in the San Joaquin Valley.

14. Job announcement: The San Luis Obispo County Department of Planning & Building is offering an exciting career opportunity for Senior Planner in the Energy unit. Learn more here.

15. Job announcements: The City of Chula Vista is inviting applications for the positions of Senior Conservation Specialist and Recycling Specialist I. Get descriptions, and links to apply here.

As always, you can keep track of relevant events by connecting to the EE Events Calendar, and find more resources being added daily on the EECoordinator website – including past WEEkly Updates.




That’s all for this week!




Statewide LG EE Best Practices: Weekly Update

Here are your wEEkly updates:

1. CURRENTS Summer Edition: the Summer 2016 edition of our energy and sustainability CURRENTS newsletter is live! Get community engagement and environmental justice best practices, building technology case studies, learn about favorite energy code resources, an innovative new approach to drive residential energy savings, and more.

2. EE Coordinating Committee Update, 7/13 Meeting: The California EE Coordinating Committee (CAEECC) is meeting July 13th: review the agenda and other recent updates from CAEECC here. You can also review presentations from energy efficiency Program Administrators, see comments from stakeholders, and more on the CAEECC website.

3. Webinar on New EE Programs 7/14: Southern California Edison (SCE) invites you to a July 14th webinar that will provide an overview on three High Opportunity Programs or Projects (HOPPs) proposals related to Public Buildings Retro-commissioning, On-Bill Financing, and Comprehensive Commercial HVAC.

4. CPUC EE Program Evaluation Webinars 7/20: the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)’s evaluation consultant Itron is holding two public webinars July 20th to present and receive public comment on plans for impact studies of local governments partnerships (LGPs) and Regional Energy Networks (RENs).

5. EE Financing Pilot Workshop 7/20: CAEATFA will be hosting a series of public workshops related to the commercial pilots and on-bill repayment under the California Hub for Energy Efficiency Financing (CHEEF) – with the first workshop taking place July 20th.

6. Climate Change Conference 8/1: Join the Association of Environmental Professionals (AEP) Institute in Sacramento August 1st for their third annual conference, focusing on “Climate Change Implications and Adaptation.” 

7. Working out TDV: For those looking ahead towards the zero net energy requirements coming under 2019 energy code: new documents on time dependent valuation (TDV) of energy are available from the California Energy Commission (CEC).

8. TDV Workshop 7/15: The CEC will also be holding a Lead Commissioners Workshop to review TDV and Life Cycle Analysis Methodology on July 15th.

9. Rural EE Webinar 7/12: Co-hosted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Department of Energy, this webinar will highlight federal energy efficiency programs with an emphasis on rural America.

10. Resources for EE Districts: The U.S. Department of Energy’s Building Technologies Office and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have partnered with Architecture 2030 to expand support for its 2030 Districts Initiative, which focuses on improving energy efficiency for major metropolitan areas in their sustainability endeavors.

11. Navigating Title 20’s New Water Efficiency Standards: Last week I shared some information on new water efficiency standards now in effect (July 1). Now, you can get the latest resources to understand and comply with the new standards from Energy Code Ace – including a new Plumbing Fittings and Fixtures Fact Sheet – to capture the power of saving water.

12. Innovative Water/EE Strategies: Learn the latest from BayREN on how their Pay As You Save (PAYS) water efficiency financing program is serving the Cities of Hayward, Windsor, and now the East Bay Municipal Utility District’s multi-family sector.

13. New Video: Oakland and Richmond on Bringing Home the Message of COP21: Hear from the Cities of Oakland and Richmond on their experience visiting Paris during the COP21 Climate Conference in December 2015, specific examples on their leadership on energy and climate in their communities, and advice for local governments looking to get started.

14. EE and Solar Savings for the City of Grass Valley: Congratulations to Grass Valley, celebrated the completion of a number of municipal energy efficiency and solar projects through an energy performance contract – including new solar generation, LED streetlight retrofits across the City, ADA compliance retrofits for all streetlights, upgraded interior and exterior lighting, and installation and replacement of the roof at City Hall. Learn more about the project.

15. Passive House History in North America: Are “passive house” building efficiency strategies German, or are there roots in the Americas? Learn about early North American case studies in this Energy Vanguard article.

16. EE Competition Best Practices: A new LBNL paper covering best practices in developing energy competitions, “Competition, carbon, and conservation: Assessing the energy savings potential of energy efficiency competitions” is available to download. (Or, learn more about setting up a competition from EPA ENERGY STAR.)

17. New Revised SGIP: For those integrating renewables: the CPUC last week approved an updated and revised Self Generation Incentive Program, which provides $83 million a year through 2019 for behind-the-meter generation technologies including wind, fuel cells and energy storage.

18. Clean Energy Support for EJ: The U.S. EPA invites you to participate in a webinar on July 19th that will provide an overview of the Clean Energy Incentive Program (CEIP) Design Details Proposal for community and environmental justice groups.

19. Clean Energy Lessons from Germany: LGC Executive Director Kate Meis has returned from a tour of clean energy innovation in German local governments. Learn what lessons Germany can share with California in LGC”s Livable Places Update.

20. Whittier Underway with Streetlighting and Building EE Savings: Congratulations to the City of Whittier for leveraging incentives and technical assistance from Southern California Edison and The Energy Network for municipal upgrades estimated to save the City over $200,000 per year – including streetlight upgrades, building HVAC, and indoor lighting.

21. Benefits of ZNE Schools: Are there benefits to expect from zero net energy investments in schools beyond energy, operational and environmental savings? Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) and the New Buildings Institute review evidence of educational benefits.

22. Spotlight on CNG and Air Quality: Learn about how the San Joaquin Valley leveraged Air District funds and funding from the CEC’s Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program (ARFVTP) to install a compressed natural gas station at the Lodi Unified School District.

23. Energy Data Coverage from DOE: The U.S. Department of Energy recently updated the State and Local Energy Data (SLED) website, which allows users to search by zip code to get an energy profile – including climate and emissions data – for their respective city.

24. Job Announcements: MCE is hiring for two Power Supply Contracts Managers! Learn more here.

25. RFP: The City of San José posted RFP 32016 – Consultant Services for Environmental Sustainability Plan on June 30th. Learn more here.



That’s all for this week!




Statewide LG EE Best Practices: Weekly Update

Here are your wEEkly updates:

1. Events Galore: To start off strong: registration is now open for the California Adaptation Forum, September 7-8th in Long Beach.

2. ZNE Webinar 6/15: Learn about a recent zero net energy (ZNE) study and how industry leaders are not waiting to take advantage of this $1.3 trillion market in this webinar from Build It Green.

3. Multifamily ZNE Workshop 6/24: Hear zero net energy (ZNE) expertise speak to SF’s Chinatown Community Development Center, and available technical assistance and incentives at this 6/24 workshop on ZNE in multifamily in San Francisco. For more on ZNE click here.

4. CEC Resiliency Workshop 6/21: last week’s announcement of resiliency grants from PG&E was a popular item: to get engaged on resiliency, adaptation, and energy, join this CEC Integrated Energy Policy Report (IEPR) workshop focused on resiliency and adaptation June 21st. For more on resiliency, click here.

5. Local Government-Utility Partnerships Evaluation 6/20: California’s investor-owned utilities (IOUs) and Evergreen Economics invite you to attend a webinar presentation June 20th on the new draft plan for evaluating local government partnerships (LGPs).

6. EDAC Quarterly Meeting 6/21: Also June 21st: the Energy Data Access Committee is holding its quarterly meeting – RSVP to join in person or by webinar.

7. EE in Pneumatics 6/23: making older pneumatic building systems efficient can be a challenge – but converting to DDC controls is usually cost-prohibitive. Learn about an energy efficient (and more cost efficient) retrofit in this 6/23 webinar. (Or for more on EE in pneumatic building systems, see this white paper.)

8. Prop 39 Plans Due 6/30: Get the word out to schools and Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) in your jurisdiction: Expenditure Plan Applications are due at the end of the month. For more on funding, click here.

9. CAEECC Update: Hear an update from the Coordinating Committee on the business plan development process for California EE programs and funding – including notes from past meetings and announcement of a next meeting 7/13.

10. Electric and Efficient Vehicle $$ from DOE: Earlier this week the U.S. Dept. of Energy announced $22 million to support research, development, and demonstration of innovative plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) and direct injection propane engine technologies, as well as community-based projects to accelerate the adoption of light, medium, and heavy duty vehicles that operate on fuels such as biodiesel, electricity, E85, hydrogen, natural gas, and propane.
CEC Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Funding: Presentations are now available from CEC’s 6/6 workshop.

11. $3 million from San Diego’s APCD: The San Diego County Air Pollution Control District is currently accepting applications for the Carl Moyer Memorial Air Quality Standards Attainment Grant Program.

12. Benchmarking best practices: benchmarking building energy use is a great practice for good management and discovery of energy-saving opportunities – and if becoming more and more widespread with AB 802 implementation. Learn how to best leverage benchmarking in this eBook, Building Energy Benchmarking & Transparency Laws. For more on benchmarking, click here.

13. EPA Portfolio Support and More: while on benchmarking, new federal webcasts are available for Portfolio Manager support, Tribal Renewable Energy, and more.

14. Blue Lake Rancheria Tribe Microgrid: for inspiration on tribal renewable energy (and beyond), check out this case study.

15. EE Code trainings and resources: The 2016 Title 24 standards become effective in 2017. Are you ready? Learn more about new fact sheets, resources and training offerings from Energy Code Ace.

16. Blueprint Newsletter: The California Energy Commission (CEC)’s Blueprint May/June newsletter is out! See newsletter highlights, including lighting compliance and electric water heater guidance, and read the newsletter in full.

17. Lighting Code Webinar: the California Advanced Homes Program is hosting a webinar 6/28 to help prepare for 2016 code lighting requirements – join yourself, or share with your buildings community!

18. Big energy savings from water savings: Saving water saves energy: less water used means less water pumped, less water heated or cooled, and less water treated – but how much? A new study from UC Davis helps us understand just how significant those energy savings are. 

19. Fontana tests operational ZNE: The development of zero net energy (ZNE) homes in Fontana announced this April got press in the New York Times article: A Suburban Experiment Aims for Free Energy. Hear feedback from the Genaus, a family living in one of the homes (and seeing utility bills of $10 on their 2,800 sq.ft. 3-bedroom residence), and check out a great slide show of the homes.

20. Reaching Low-Income Communities: New case studies from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency share best practices in reaching low-income communities with EE and renewable energy resources.

21. Advanced Energy in Huntington Beach: Congratulations to the City of Huntington Beach for its award of CEC EPIC Program funding for energy efficiency, renewables, zero net energy, and new technologies deployment under the Advanced Energy Communities program. Learn more about the project here.

22. CAP Adopted: Congratulations to Del Mar, whose City Council voted unanimously to adopt its climate action plan (CAP), which aims to cut the city’s greenhouse gas emissions in half in less than 20 years. Learn more about the CAP’s priorities here.

23. Green real estate resources: Last week’s post on next week’s greenrealtor training in Yolo County was also popular. Here are some additional green realtor certification trainings in Anaheim (June 29th/30th) and Burbank (July 25th/26th). Or, check out our new trainings resources page.

24. Job Announcement: Cal State University Long Beach is hiring for an Energy Analyst! Learn more here.

25. Job Announcement: The Local Government Commission is hiring for a Climate Change Coordinator! Learn more here.

26. Finally, there will be no WEEkly Updates next week due to the 7th Annual SEEC Forum June 15th-16th in Riverside. We have record registrations from local governments across the state, and a great line up of local government, utility, state, and expert-led sessions: I hope to see you there!

You can keep track of relevant events by connecting to the EE Events Calendar, and find more resources being added daily on the EECoordinator website – including past WEEkly Updates. 



That’s all for this week!



Statewide LG EE Best Practices: Weekly Update

Here are your wEEkly updates:

1. Updates from the EE Coordinating Committee: for meeting updates, reminders on comment deadlines, and a change in schedule for business plan development, see this week’s updates from the CA EE Coordinating Committee (CAEECC).  For more background on the Committee and how they facilitate local government and other stakeholder feedback on how EE funds are administered, check out the CAEECC website or take a look at this FAQ.

2. Communicating on EE: Need help communicating the value of EE in your community? This GreenBiz excerpt from the book Energy is Human describes some best practices for rethinking how we talk about efficiency.

3. Need EE Code Trainings? Did you know you can request a Title 24 Part 6 Essentials training be brought to a location of your choice? You can – and it’s free of charge – click here for details.

4. Over $457M in Funding Available: more than $457 million is available at the federal level for local and tribal government climate and energy activities: including pre-disaster mitigation, community resiliency, and air pollution reduction.

5. Keeping EE Affordable: As we’re seeing more and more about how efficient buildings are more valuable buildings (due to their lower cost of ownership and more), GreenBiz reviews how to keep upfront costs off low-income residents.

6. Multi-family EE resources: Affordable housing is often multi-family housing. For a list of resources in California specifically dedicated to multi-family EE, click here. Or take a look at multi-family EE program best practices in this 2015 report.

7. New Multi-family EE Strategies in NY: Looking outside California, a new multi-family energy program was announced this week from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).

8. Making EE Buildings Visible: while on the subject of EE in buildings with multiple stakeholders: the US Dept. of Energy announced a new partnership under the Better Buildings Initiative with a firm that provides data intelligence to commercial real estate to improve the visibility of EE benefits.

9. Energy storage and microgrids: get new coverage from Navigant on the role of energy storage as the microgrid market matures.

10. The CPUC on microgrids and more: the CPUC issued a new proposed decision last week proposing a number of updates to California’s Self Generation Incentive Program (SGIP).

11. Best practices in reducing plug load: Environmental Leader came out with five recommendations on checking appliances and reducing plug load in response to recent EPA audit results. A recent article from the NY Times also provides transparency on what appliances are consuming even in off or standby modes. For more on plug load, click here.

12. EE Computer Standards: while on plug load: the CEC has shared the transcript of its recent workshop on computer efficiency standards.

13. Seeking input on statewide EE programs: this week, the CPUC also released a new ruling seeking to work through approaches to statewide and third party programs and approaches in how EE funding and offerings are administered. A number of program categories are proposed for statewide implementation. Comments on this new approach are due June 10th. More on the restructuring of EE program timelines and review available here.)

14. Opportunities in electric water heaters: A new study by the Brattle Group finds significant residential savings opportunities through electric water heaters.

15. More reasons to take air pollution seriously: Need help communicating the importance of clean air? A new study confirms that air pollution contributes to the #1 cause of death.

16. New podcast from DOE: Get connected to a new “Direct Current: podcast released this month from the Department of Energy!

17. Waste Heat is Power: For an old but innovative approach to efficiency, learn from Berkeley Engineer how a firm is using thermoelectrics to convert waste heat to energy.

18. Job Announcement: Cleantech San Diego is hiring for a Project Manager!

19. Job Announcement: San Diego State University is hiring for an Energy Analyst!

20. Energy Data Survey: as a reminder, the Energy Data Access Committee wants to hear from local governments re: their experience accessing data for climate action planning, through this survey available for a limited time here.

21. Weatherization Reminder: Interested in informing weatherization program development based on needs you see in your community? The Department of Community Services and Development (CSD)’s June 2nd workshop is coming up: RSVP to attend in person or by webinar here.


As always, you can keep track of relevant events by connecting to the EE Events Calendar, and find more resources being added daily on the EECoordinator website – including past WEEkly Updates. 


That’s all for this week!

Statewide LG EE Best Practices: Weekly Update

Here are your wEEkly updates:

1. EE Coordinating Committee Update: Interested in how agricultural energy efficiency programs will provide funding in coming years? The Agricultural Subcommittee meeting is going on today – click here to learn how to join in person or by phone/web.

2. For a weekly round up from the Coordinating Committee, click here.

3. More on EE Program Planning: as the business plans for future EE programming develop, the CPUC shares additional guidance on what those business plans should look like. To learn more, click here.

4. Save the Date: Weatherization Program Development: The Department of Community Services and Development (CSD) is hosting a public comment opportunity on the design of the Low Income Weatherization Program (LIWP) June 2nd. More information is available here.

5. Save the Date: Upcoming Codes and Standards: BayREN will be holding a Forum on June 22nd covering what’s new in the 2016 codes and standards (which become effective January 1st). To learn more, click here.

6. Evaluating EE Programs: The U.S. EPA is holding a webinar on May 23rd to share best practices in planning and budgeting for EE program evaluation. For more click here.

7. EE and Clean Energy Results and Best Practices: The U.S. Dept. of Energy’s Better Buildings Challenge partners are showing powerful results, and the Challenge released a Progress Update this week to show it. The Better Buildings Challenge is also kicking off three new Accelerator programs, focusing on low-income, CHP, and wastewater. See more on the Partners, and the results, here.

8. New Low-Income EE/Renewable Resources: PG&E is joining the Better Buildings Challenge’s new Low Income Communities Accelerator, bringing more resources to disadvantaged communities – learn more here.

9. ESA Program Boost to Mitigate Blackout Risks: SCE and SoCal Gas will be offering more through a $250 million add to the Energy Savings Assistance program – learn more here.

10. New List of All Climate Change Investments Released by ARB: for more, click here.

11. Water and Climate: A new report from the UN states that water is the climate challenge.  For information on big opportunities for water savings in California shared by an engineering firm in the recent public sector subcommittee meeting, new resources from San Diego County Water Authority, and more on what local governments are doing to reduce water consumption, click here.

12. Roadmap for Microgrid Commercialization: Interested in microgrids? The CEC, CPUC, and CAISO are holding a workshop May 24th to kick off development of a roadmap for microgrid commercialization in California. Learn more here.

13. Deep Retrofits for Small Businesses: Congratulations to the Association of Bay Area Governments for being awarded funding under the U.S. DOE’s Commercial Buildings Integration Program! Learn more here.

14. EE and solar installed in Yuba City: Congrats to Yuba City for completing installations of solar and energy efficiency measures in 16 city facilities. For more on what they’re saving through their energy performance contract, click here. For more on performance contracting in California, click here.

15. California’s Solar Ordinances in the News: Environmental Leader covers how requirements for solar help grow the solar market and the ability for solar to provide a direct return on investment. For more click here.

16. EJAC meeting online: If you missed the Environmental Justice Advisory Committee meeting this week, you can watch it online here.

17. Best Practices in Multi-Family EE Programming: reaching EE savings in multi-family residential can be challenging, but holds great opportunities. Learn more on best practices in program approach from ACEEE here. For more multi-family resources, click here.

18. New numbers on DR: Greentech Media finds more than 9.3 million customers in the U.S. are enrolled in demand response.

19. EVs Spread in Sonoma: Learn more about how Sonoma Clean Power is growing its electric vehicle footprint in 500 new charging stations here. For more on electric vehicles, click here.

20. Job announcements: San Francisco State is hiring for a Senior Director of Facilities Operations and a Senior Energy Manager! Learn more here.

21. Job announcement: California State University is hiring for a Sustainability Program Assistant! Learn more here.

22. A 1-Question Survey: Build It Green is looking for answers, or specifically, one answer, on local government interest in energy ordinance tracking. To help them out, click here.

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



That’s all for this week!

Statewide LG EE Best Practices: Weekly Update

Here are your wEEkly updates:

1. Call for Posters: Today is the final day to submit an idea to showcase what happening in your city, county or COG at the SEEC Forum! Learn more and submit an idea here. 

2. EECC Update: The Public Sector Stage 2 meeting of the EE Coordinating Committee was held this week to review what problem statements and solutions Program Administrators are identifying as they plan energy efficiency programming that will be available to us all in 2017 and beyond. Some meeting highlights, links to presentations, and instructions on how to submit a comment, are here. Other meetings (including Workforce Education & Training, Industrial, Emerging Technologies, and Codes & Standards) also took place this week – you can find meeting presentations on the EECC website at caeecc.org. Looking for background on the EECC process? Click here.

3. Federal Webinars: a list of energy-related webinars targeting state, local, and tribal governments (including financing for tribes, and EPA Portfolio Manager training's) released this week is available here. For more on available training, click here.

4. Berkeley’s New Resiliency Plan: This week the City of Berkeley’s Chief Resilience Officer shared with CityLab on the City’s new Resilience Strategy, of which energy and water savings and clean energy investments are key.

5. More on EE, Demand Response, and Resiliency: More coverage on California cities taking action on resiliency, and new resources for EE, demand response, and microgrids to support resiliency can be found here.

6. Valuing EE: Home Energy Score Resources: New resources are available to connect residents, local governments, and real estate, inspection, and other building professionals with the U.S. DOE Home Energy Score: click here to review. Looking for more on transparency, market drivers, and valuing EE? Click here.

7. Committing to the Plan: This week, the City of San Diego made its Climate Action Plan legally binding in a powerful bipartisan agreement.  The Plan is making headlines for its goal of 100% renewable energy by 2035. For EE strategies and more on what San Diego’s Mayor Faulconer is calling “common sense strategies” that save taxpayers’ money, click here.

8. Implementing the Plan: Moving from planning to implementation takes a group effort. San Diego is taking this a step further by looking for the best and brightest ideas for climate action plan implementation through a Smart City Hackathon.

9. Heat pump application review: As heat pump technology improves, ACEEE considers the changing value propositions and economics of deployment. Read more on ACEEE’s blog here.

10. One year later: The City of Los Angeles has released its first annual report on its Sustainable City Plan, highlighting expansions in solar, energy storage, and savings of 912 gigawatt-hours (GWh).  

11. High Opportunity Programs and Projects: Lots of developments in utility and CPUC planning for HOPPs this week. For SoCal Gas’s presentation on its multi-family offerings proposal, click here. For more on HOPPs, click here.

12. IEPR Update Update: I shared in a past Update the Integrated Energy Policy Report (IEPR) Update plans for this year; the CEC has released an update to that schedule, available here.

13. For Water: Better Infrastructure, Not More Infrastructure: For water and energy efficiency, the former CEO of El Paso Water Utilities Public Service Board talks strategy and best practices – including deployment of smart water management software.

14. An innovative approach to small business EE: Retired engineers in Michigan are working together to connect small businesses with energy savings opportunities. Check out Midwest Energy News to learn more.

15. Energy Economics Training: Registration is open for a Executive-level crash course in the economics of energy and the environment at UC Berkeley’s Energy Institute at Haas: for more information click here.

16. The Latest on CPUC ZNE Action Planning: An interactive workshop will be held in San Francisco on May 12th to review the approach of developing Zero Net Energy (ZNE) Districts. Click here to learn more and to register.

17. More ZNE resources: The New Buildings Institute will be holding a ZNE policies webinar May 18th.

18. Sustainable Freight Planning: the state released a Sustainable Freight Plan this week in response to Governor Brown’s B-32-15 Executive Order. For more information click here.

19. More on Clean Vehicles: learn more about the opportunity for corporate leadership on clean vehicles in this Environmental Leader article.

20. Environmental Justice Public Meeting: the AB 32 Environmental Justice Advisory Committee (EJAC) will be meeting on May 10th next week: click here for more information.

21. EPIC Feedback: The CEC is seeking feedback on a draft solicitation targeting new energy technologies for industrial, agricultural, and water sectors under the EPIC Program. For more info, and a link to the EPIC Program’s recently-released Annual Report, click here.

22. CivicSpark Recruitment: The CivicSpark program is recruiting fellows, and will be hosting several informational webinars for fellows this May. Click here for more information and please share with your educational partners! (Information on how request a Fellow is available through the same link – scroll down.)

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


That’s all for today!

Statewide LG EE Best Practices: Weekly Update

Here are your wEEkly updates:

1. EECC Stage 2 Update: Stage 2 Subcommittee meetings of the EE Coordinating Committee are underway, offering stakeholders a great and unprecedented chance to hear and get involved in the funds and offerings of future energy efficiency programs. The Public Sector Subcommittee Meeting will be held this Monday, May 2nd , and can be attended in San Diego, San Francisco, or by WebEx. Workforce Education and Training, Codes and Standards, Emerging Technologies, and Industrial Subcommittee Stage 2 meetings are all being held this week as well. Commercial and residential Stage 2 meetings were held earlier this week. This process is moving very quickly and will wrap up in a few months, and stakeholder feedback is critical – if you have any questions on how to get involved visit caeecc.org or contact me at any time.

2. Millions of $ in Federal Funding: click here to review the U.S. EPA’s local government newsletter, sharing $889M available for local government and tribal energy efficiency and sustainability. ($500M closes today – TIGER applicants, don’t forget to submit!)

3. Post Earth Day Climate Action Updates: Earth Day resulted in the signing of Paris Agreement by more than 150 countries – learn more about national and local government action, and hear from global businesses that are on board with limiting carbon emissions (and how they’ll play a role for the next Conference of Parties meeting this November).

4. On Climate and Business: An article from GreenBiz covers how businesses can (and are motivated to) support local government action on climate change

5. Two EE Baselines Updates: The CPUC released a staff white paper last week, primarily in response to the AB 802’s requirement that energy efficiency programs provide incentives based on metered energy savings. Yesterday, a correction to the white paper was released, resulting in the extension of the deadline for comments.

6. Monday Clarification Call: The CPUC also announced that a conference call for clarifications will be held May 2nd.

7. Successes and Challenges in National Local Government EE: In honor of Earth Day last Friday, the ICMA has shared some key findings from their national 2015 Local Government Sustainability Practices Survey – including the two top motivating factors in local government rollout of sustainability.

8. Lowering the Energy Burden and Achieving EE in Low-Income: There’s been lots of news lately highlighting the opportunity (and the need) for pairing energy efficiency investments with low-income and underserved communities. Read the latest on program best practices from ACEEE and EDF, and see resources offered in California, here. Information on an energy burden report shared last week featuring urban areas across the nation (including 5 California cities) can be found here.

9. On-site Title 24 trainings: Trainings on the upcoming energy code are being held at no-cost at various sites in SCE territory. Click here for more information. For more on training opportunities click here.

10. Are companies responding to the market for green purchasing? Many local governments are adopting green or sustainable purchasing policies, and may be interested in a first ever impact report on sustainability in global consumer goods supply chains has been developed by The Sustainability Consortium.

11. More on green purchasing: Hear from Environmental Leader on opportunities for green purchasing in green cleaning.

12. Residential EE Opportunity Graphic: For a nice graphic to inform the community on typical home energy use and energy efficiency opportunities from HomeSelfe, click here.

13. SoCal Gas HOPPs Call: SoCal Gas has shared an opportunity to join a planning call May 5th for multifamily program offerings under the new High Opportunity Program or Projects (HOPPs). (Click here for language and the CPUC ruling on HOPPs.)

14. New National Energy Bill: Take a look at the latest (and opinions on both sides) on the Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2016.

15. Can’t “See” the Value of Demand Response? For data geeks, or maybe just for those that want a great visual of aggregated energy use load curves (812,000 of them) to visualize the power of demand response, click here.

16. EE RTU Action: Rooftop units (RTUs) can consume a tremendous amount of energy, and are therefore a great place to look for savings – through more efficient compressors, controls, and more. The U.S. Dept. of Energy is recognizing six companies for their retrofits and investments in high-efficiency RTUs and RTU management. Learn how they are achieving savings here.

17. Building EE Opportunities for Efficient Cities: Click here to review MIT analysis findings on how building energy efficiency can make cities more efficient.

18. Energy Management System Pilots: nine companies are joining the North American Energy Management Pilot Program. Energy Management Systems (EMS) are a powerful way to integrate energy management into existing building management systems – learn more from the U.S. DOE here.

19. Why Energy Management Systems: Looking for ways to gain support for investment in an energy management system? Take a look at these tips from EnerNoc.

20. Scoring Solar Performance: Considering solar photovoltaic (PV) investments? DNV GL has a new solar PV scorecard report you may want to review. Click here for more.

21. EV Best Practices: For those engaged in EV planning, the CEC held a workshop earlier this week to hear updates and best practices from electric vehicle project and program leads. Presentations and background are available here.

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



That is all for this week!