CPUC

What has SJVCEO been up to?

Hello and happy new years to all of our loyal blog readers! We hope you have had a wonderful holiday and a safe new years.

We apologize for the long delay in posting an organizational update. SJVCEO has been busier than ever and not complaining. Since our last post in March our team has been working non-stop on energy projects, state utility outreach as well as policy work. So lets dig in!

The VIEW Partnership is very excited to say we have our FIRST partner city, City of Visalia, who has reached platinum within the Southern California Edison Energy Leader Partnership. We will be awarding the certificate to the city at our upcoming annual awards luncheon this week. To reach platinum level the city has saved over 2,114,358 kWh which equates to about $613,163 saved in energy costs. That money saved has gone back into the cities general funds and put to good use for the residents of the city.

Image result for HPS lights vs LEDMany of our VIEW partners have looked into and or signed up for the Southern California Edison streetlight retrofit program. In total we have eight cities who are in the que for what is being called the LS1 option E program within the utility. Through this program partners upgrade all Edison owned streetlights to LED and the cost of the upgrade will show as a line item on their bill for up to 20 years. Many of the partners will not see any change to their electricity bills as much of the energy savings will pay for the monthly cost. We are very excited to see how the large scale upgrade in the valley will turnout when complete within the next year.



Much of the partnerships summer and fall was dedicated to community outreach and informational meetings relating to AB2672. During all outreach the partnership provided free flu shots to residents, energy saving information as well as a time to speak with the CPUC commissioners in charge of deciding the direction of the state assembly bill. The partnership will continue to work with the state in outreach in regards to AB2672 and holding its annual energy awareness month events.

Our HDR Partnership has been very busy at work as well. Many partners are moving forward with lighting upgrades as well as the same street lighting program as the VIEW partners, LS1 option E. Our partners did throw a curve ball at Edison when asking if the LED lighting can with stand Mojave desert like conditions. Edison went to their researchers to make sure the equipment being used would hold to those conditions. We are happy to say that the LED technology passes the test but will have a shorter useful life than if it were in more temperate conditions. We are excited to for the upgrades as this change in lighting will help with maintenance and operation of street lighting for partners.

METU is off to a great start for the 2018 program year! Our team was able to close out 2017 with an insulation project in the City of Avenal. This project is projected to save the city more than 1/3 of its current energy costs for one of its largest public facilities and significant source of energy usage for the city. Savings verification reporting for the City of Avenal is planned for the 1st quarter of 2018.

Lighting audits were completed in partnership with PG&E at the end of 2017 for three large publicly-owned facilities in the City of Madera. These projects are anticipated to get underway in the first quarter of 2018.

The City of Arvin has experienced recent personnel changes. However, METU was able to get the new representative up to speed on recent progress and not allow the City of Arvin to lose any of its momentum for continuing energy savings projects. Following a coordination meeting with PG&E and the Kern County Energy watch, METU will assist the city of Arvin with additional lighting projects, HVAC replacement support, as well as assist with the tools to facilitate community outreach to promote PG&E programs.

Last but not least, METU has also been busy with benchmarking efforts for the cities of Sanger and Selma. Municipal Readiness Reports detailing project pipelines will be distributed soon!

This past year has been an adventure for the team, but we are very excited and thankful to continue to do the work that we are allowed to do on behalf of our partners.

Stay tuned for our next update!

Summer CURRENTS

6 Spng 2017



An Energy Newsletter for Local Governments

CURRENTS is the Local Government Commission’s free quarterly newsletter providing local elected officials and staff with current information on energy issues affecting California local governments.


Be Patient and Persevere
At this year's SEEC Forum, Dan Schoenholz and Rachel DiFranco gave a well-reviewed presentation on making sustainability projects happen.

Link to Article


Changing the California Energy Framework
Earlier this year the CPUC released a staff white paper to guide the discussion for another CPUC and Energy Commission (CEC) En Banc.

Link to Article


Preparing for Electrified Transit
In the beginning of the 20th century, transportation agencies were very familiar with planning around electricity but today all of that has changed.

Link to Article


Legislative Update
The Local Government Commission's update on the following legislation: SB 242, AB 1284, SB 100, AB 726, SB 801, and AB 546.

Link to Article


Want more CURRENTS- SUBSCRIBE HERE
Please feel free to pass CURRENTS along to friends, associates and others who you think would be interested. 
  
Copyright © 2017. Local Government Commission. All rights reserved. 

Statwide LG EE Best Practices: Weekly Update

wEEkly update

Good afternoon!

Here are your wEEkly updates:

News and Opportunities

LG Input Requested: Energy Impacts of Cannabis Cultivation Workshop
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is holding this workshop February 28th to examine the increase in electricity demand that may be expected from increased cannabis cultivation in California.

RFP: emPower Central Coast "Energy Coach" Program
The emPower Central Coast program of the Energy and Sustainability Division of the County of Santa Barbara requests proposals from qualified professionals to serve by contract as "Energy Coach" primarily for the San Luis Obispo County area.

Joint CEC-CPUC Workshop to support the 2017 Integrated Energy Policy Report
Save the date for a joint California Energy Commission and California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) Workshop on Greenhouse Gas Target Setting for the Integrated Resource Planning (IRP) Process on February 23, 2017.

Edison and Tesla Unveil Giant Energy Storage System
Southern California Edison and Tesla Motors Inc., installed 400 Tesla PowerPacks in the Mira Loma substation in Ontario, CA. The substation will now add nearly 80 megawatts of energy storage to the state’s electricity grid.


Publications and Resources

Regulating Energy Efficiency - A Primer on the CPUC's Energy Efficiency Programs
A short report from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) that outlines how they currently regulate energy efficiency.

The Growth of America’s Clean Energy & Sustainability Jobs
In addition to the DOE report released earlier this year. The Environmental Defense Fund has released their own report discussing the growth of clean energy and sustainability jobs in the United States.

The Third Wave of Energy Efficiency
The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) released a report late last year on the "Third Wave of Energy Efficiency." Advances in consumer electronics can help consumers be more energy efficient.

Can Paying-For-Performance Increase Energy Savings?
Pay for performance (P4P) programs track energy efficiency savings as they occur by using technology data from a building's energy meter.

Career Opportunities

Programs Manager, Sonoma County
Sonoma Clean Power has an opening for a programs manager as they expand their service into Mendocino County. The programs manager will be responsible for significant portions of program design and implementation.

Sustainability Coordinator, San Diego
Reporting to the University of San Diego, Director of Sustainability, this role coordinates the day-to-day operations for the Office of Sustainability. Deadline: Today February 3, 2017

Senior Regional Planner, San Diego
The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) is looking for a Senior Regional Planner to support the implementation of San Diego Forward: The Regional Plan and the Sustainable Communities Strategy Deadline: Today February 3, 2017
 
SEEC Calendar 
Click the Calendar link to view all upcoming events.

2/24 Basic Excel for Energy Auditors
A basic excel class for Energy Auditors focusing on the the fundamentals of Excel.This training will be offered at a very basic level and is not recommended for anyone proficient with advanced Excel functionality, such as macros. Location: San Francisco, CA

3/16-3/19 (Yosemite National Park) Yosemite Policymakers Conference
Join mayors, city council members, county supervisors, city managers, and high-level department heads for the 26th Annual Yosemite Policymakers Conference.

4/26-4/27 Green California Summit (Sacramento)
The Summit provides a forum where innovations in policy, technology and practice can be showcased and shared.

5/5/17 (Long Beach) The Business of Local Energy Symposium 2017
Business of Clean Energy Symposium to convening government, business, and community leaders to accelerate California's shift to a clean energy economy and to exchange ideas about Community Choice Energy programs.
 

That's all for this week. Have a great weekend!
Statewide Local Government Energy Efficiency Best Practices Coordinator
eecoordinator.info
Funding Wizard | Energy Standards Online Resource Center
 

Statewide LG EE Best Practices: Weekly Update

Here are your wEEkly updates:

News and Opportunities

CURRENTS Fall 2016
If you haven't already done so, be sure to check out our newest edition of CURRENTS featuring a wide range of topics from a look into a Local Government Partnership's less common energy project "gems," to an update on key state climate and energy legislation, and more! If you are interested in sharing best practices, lessons learned, or a success story in the next edition of CURRENTS, please contact me at jkim@lgc.org.

California Regulators Dedicate $80 Million to Empower Affordable Housing Owners to Play a Key Role in Meeting the State's EE Goals
On November 10th, the CPUC issued a decision that dedicates $80 million to empower government and non-profit owners of rent-restricted affordable housing to participate in Energy Saving Assistance (ESA) programs for low-income households. The decision updates the ESA program to support whole-building energy efficiency planning and improvements for affordable housing.

Joint Statement from California Legislative Leaders on Result of Presidential Election
California Senate President pro Tempore Kevin de León and California Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon released a statement on the results of the President election.

What Do the 2016 Election Results Mean for Energy Efficiency?
Steven Nadel, executive director of ACEEE, considers the impact of the 2016 election results and its impact on energy efficiency policy.

Job Opportunity: City of Cupertino
The City of Cupertino is currently recruiting for a Limited-Term Sustainability Program Coordinator. Under the direction of the Sustainability Manager, this position will assist to plan, organize and coordinate the implementation and reporting measures and policis defined within the City's Climate Action Plan and General Plan Sustainability Element. Applications due November 29, 2016.

Calendar

11/15 (webinar) Driving High Performance: Role of Codes & Permitting in Zero Net Energy
The Center for Sustainable Energy invites city and county staff, governmental officials, architects, building owners and developers, and contractors to a free webinar on the role of codes and permitting in reaching zero net energy building goals.

11/16 (Sacramento / remote) Workshop on SB 350 and AB 802
The California Energy Commission is conducting a workshop to discuss and seek comments from interested parties regarding energy data collection to support the implementation of SB 350, AB 802, and improved California energy analytics

11/17 (webinar) Catalizing Energy Efficiency: City Governments and Energy Efficiency Implementers
Participants will hear from efficiency program implementers who have capitalized on city benchmarking data to build and refine programs that better engage owners and managers to implement cost-effective efficiency actions in multifamily properties.

11/17 (webinar) Diversifying Funding Sources and Building New Revenue Streams
This peer exchange call hosted by DOE Better Buildings will discuss different types of revenue streams available for energy efficiency programs.

11/17 (webinar) Current Practices in Efficiency Financing: An Overview for State and Local Governments
This webinar will help state and local government officials, and othes understand how to assess the value of different financing products for promoting energy efficiency; the fundamentals and trade offs of financing products used to fund energy efficiency; how financing products work to overcome market barriers in different sectors; financing product features and relative merits; and market activity and size of the efficiency financing market.


​Resources and Reports

Catalyzing Efficiency: Unlocking Energy Information and Value in Apartment Buildings
Increasing the energy efficiency of America's multifamily buildings could save building owners and managers, residents, governments, energy efficiency service providers, and financiers close to $3.4 billion in annual savings. Recognizing this, this report from IMT explores how governments and energy efficiency implementers could help these stakeholders better analyze and act upon building performance data to unlock these savings.

Green Cities California CCE Program Final Report
This report updates the success of advancing Community Choice Energy programs in Alameda and Contra Costa counties

Learn Why Packaging LED & Advance Rooftop-Units Together Lead to Maximum Performance
In this white paper, Transformative Wave explores a packaged LED and Advanced Rooftop-Unit1 Control (ARC) retrofit in detail - summarizing what an ARC retrofit is and how ARCs can improve the performance and resize energy savings from an LED retrofit.



And that's all for this week!





Statewide LG EE Best Practices: Weekly Update

Here are your wEEkly updates:

1. Resilience Webinar 8/4: Comprehensive plans and local land use codes and ordinances drive much of the climate resilience related decision making at the local level, and thus is one key target for climate integration. Learn more about tying codes and ordinances to resilience goals in this Climate Solutions University (CSU) webinar.

2. ARB Public Workshops beginning 8/9:  The California Air Resources Board (ARB) invites you to participate in public workshops to discuss updates to ARB’s Supplemental Environmental Projects (SEP) Policy to benefit disadvantaged communities. (A SEP is an environmentally beneficial project that a person subject to an enforcement action voluntarily agrees to undertake in settlement of the action and to offset a portion of a civil penalty.)

3. CPUC Lighting Research Plan Webinar 8/1: The 2015 Upstream and Residential Downstream Lighting Program Impact Evaluation Research Plan has been posted to the CPUC’s public document site for review and comment, and a webinar to review will be held on August 1st.

4. CPUC Behavioral Program Research Plan Webinar 8/1: The Draft Impact Evaluation Research Plan for the Program Administrators 2015 behavior programs (home energy and home utility reports) has been posted to the CPUC’s public document site for review and comment, and a webinar to review will be held on August 1st.

5. FHA’s PACE Guidance Reviewed: In case you missed this week’s webinar explaining last week’s Federal Housing Administration (FHA) announcement of clear guidance that will expand access to PACE program renewable energy, energy efficiency, and other home resiliency projects, a webinar recording is now available.

6. CPUC EE Program Review: the final version of the “2015 Custom Impact Research Plan Addendum – Sampling – through Q4 2015” has been posted on the CPUC energy efficiency public documents website. The comment period on this document will last until August 8th.

7. Study Reviews EE Behavioral Programs Correcting Market Failure: Energy efficiency—using less energy to provide an equivalent level of service—is part of the climate policy portfolio. Market failures might warrant encouraging energy efficiency, but an important justification comes from the realm of behavioral economics: that people erroneously underinvest in it. This creates difficulties for policy evaluation, which assumes that people’s choices, including energy efficiency investments, reflect actual preferences. Continue reading the abstract (and more) of this new study from Resources for the Future.

8. DR and Storage to Improve Air Quality: A new study proposes storage and demand response to avoid extra air pollution while meeting peak demand – and tests their framework using data from California’s grid.

9. New Los Angeles Microgrid: The Port of Los Angeles will be the site of a $27 million solar+storage pilot program that aims to show how carbon-free energy solutions can help make marine terminal operations more efficient and have less environmental impact.

10. 15-Second “Flash” Charging EV Buses Launched:  In Switzerland, a new line of buses can be topped off in a few seconds and fully charged in minutes.

11. $4.5 Billion for EV Innovation: The White House has also announced $4.5 Billion in loan guarantees for EV charging innovation. Considering electric buses in your own fleet, and want to understand what this would do to your energy efficiency? Learn more about electric vehicle infrastructure deployment planning.

12. Wave Technology Investment: More on new technologies: Oregon State University’s Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center and CalWave are competing to build a wave energy test site – and the US Department of Energy said that it will release up to $40 million for the effort.

13. EE Internationally: new figures from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) show world energy intensity has steadily decreased by nearly 33 percent in the last 15 years – and credits national and subnational energy policies as a major contributing factor.

14. New tool tracks electric supply, demand and recovery: The EIA has also launched its Electric System Operating Data Tool, which provides nearly real-time data, analysis, and visualizations of hourly, daily, and weekly electricity supply and demand on a national and regional level and for all of the 66 electric systems that make up the U.S. electric grid.

15. Job announcement: the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) is hiring for a Commercial Development Consultant! Learn more 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. AB 802 Workshop This Morning!: The California Energy Commission’s workshop to seek input on draft regulations for implementation of building energy use data access and public disclosure components of AB 802 is this morning! Get information to attend in person or by phone/online. The CEC presentation is now available through the same link.

2. FHA PACE Guidance Released: This week, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) announced clear guidance that will expand access to renewable energy, energy efficiency, and other home resiliency projects for American homeowners. The guidance, signaled last August by President Obama and the FHA, allows residential Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) assessments to interact with single family home mortgages secured by the FHA in the event of purchases, refinances, and loan modifications.

3. PACE Nation Webinar 7/26: Join PACENation on Tuesday, July 26th for the webinar "FHA's PACE Guidance Explained," to discuss HUD/FHA's recent residential PACE guidance and the White House's new initiative to broaden the scope of residential PACE. Panelists include Renew Financial CEO Cisco Devries, PACENation Executive Director David Gabrielson, and more.

4. PACE Draft Best Practices for Review from DOE: the U.S. Department of Energy has released a draft best practices document for residential PACE that focuses on best practices for program design, including protections to both consumers who voluntarily opt into PACE programs, and to lenders who hold mortgages on properties with PACE assessments; compatibility of PACE with other energy efficiency programs and services; and evaluation of program outcomes, including cost effectiveness, energy savings, and non-energy benefits such as improved health and comfort. The comment period for this document is open through August 19th.

5. CPUC releases guidance on EE rolling portfolio business plans: Those of you that have been following the energy efficiency rolling portfolio process are familiar with the fact that the state’s EE funding Program Administrators are preparing business plans sharing the high-level strategy they will use to create EE programs to address different sectors’ needs in the coming years.  This week, the CPUC shared a 94-page guidance for these business plan filings.

6. CPUC Evaluation of RENs and LGPs: The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)’s consultants shared their draft research plans for assessing the impact of California’s two Regional Energy Networks (RENs) and its Local Government Partnerships (LGPs) in two webinars this week. The presentations shared in each are available and the public comment period has been extended to August 1st.

7. New options for lighting EE compliance: The California Energy Commission approved the use of an optional compliance pathway for use in non-residential lighting alterations that trigger Title 24, Part 6. This is in addition to the pre-existing two compliance pathways. Learn more (and share with your buildings stakeholders!).

8. Updates to GreenPoint Rated Program: Hear from Build It Green on the new updates to the GreenPoint Rated Program in this recorded webinar. Public comments are welcome until 7/31.

9. Local Policies to Support Microgrids: Learn what local policies can support microgrids from former CPUC Analyst turned Minnesota PUC Director Chris Villareal – and get some great California (and national) examples.

10. California Cities Shine in $5 Million Energy Prize Competition: As shared by SEEC’s Institute for Local Government (ILG), learn how Berkeley, Chula Vista, Claremont, Davis, Fremont, Palo Alto, San Mateo and Sunnyvale are rallying their communities to complete their last year of competition for the Georgetown University Energy Prize.

11. Free ZNE Conference 8/19 in Downey: Verdical Group is hosting its 3rd Annual Net Zero Conference in Downey, CA at SoCal Gas’s Energy Resource Center on August 19th.

12. Presentation Proposing RCx, OBF, and HVAC Programming: Southern California Edison’s presentation from their 7/14 webinar on their proposed High Opportunity Programs or Projects (HOPPs) – including public buildings retro-commissioning (RCx), on-bill financing, and comprehensive commercial HVAC – is now available.

13. New Study on Data Center EE: Data centers are incredibly energy intensive – but a new study shows that some data centers are learning to slim their energy footprint.

14. Google Data Center Uses AI to Save: In recent months, the Alphabet Inc. unit put a DeepMind AI system in control of parts of its data centers to reduce power consumption by manipulating computer servers and related equipment like cooling systems – and is seeing some interesting results.

15. Seeking Water EE ordinance experience/interest: The Statewide Codes & Standards team has had a request from a city for resources to implement efficiency standards for greywater systems and drip irrigation microspray for trees & shrubs. Reach code options for water-energy issues is new territory, and the C&S team would appreciate hearing from any other local governments that are interested in this, or that have experience developing such standards. Please contact Jordan (jdecker@lgc.org) and Javier Mariscal (javier.mariscal@sce.com) if you are a local government and have feedback you can share.

16. Green Real Estate Interest Survey for Realtors: A number of local governments engage their builder, developer and realtor communities to connect on the value of EE. If you are connected to realtors in your jurisdiction, please help Build It Green distribute a survey to licensed realtors in California. The survey seeks their feedback on various green home topics, including a proposal to make green and energy efficiency features transparent on real estate listing services. You can forward the survey link to any realtor contacts: https://www.getfeedback.com/r/ys58KCHP.

17. Testing residential solar+storage: SolarCity and PG&E have announced a collaborative demonstration in the San Jose area to see how the coordinated use of solar smart inverters and behind the meter energy storage could provide enhanced benefits to the grid.

18. New report on solar+storage for critical infrastructure: A new report completed as part of the New York Solar Smart DG Hub-Resilient Solar Project shows a higher return on investment for solar+storage combinations for resiliency benefits in critical infrastructure.

19. Pollution Control Authority New Rules: the California Pollution Control Financing Authority (CPCFA), chaired by Treasurer John Chiang, has taken formal action to help large and small businesses in California keep costs low when financing waste management and recycling projects.

20. Job announcement: the City and County of San Francisco is hiring for a Distributed Energy Projects Manager! Learn more 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. 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:
Currents Winter 2015 Issue
You don't want to miss the latest issue of Currents! Some notable articles and resources include: 
Save the Date! 1/15 - Launch of EE Coordinating Committee
A new regulatory advisory body is forming and may be a major force in shaping future CPUC programs and proceedings. The first public meeting to discuss the next steps regarding launching a stakeholder engagement process to vet the forthcoming Program Administrator EE business plans will be held on January 15th, from 10am-4:30pm at PG&E's Pacific Energy Center in SF. This event on the Energy Calendar will be updated with the dial-in info once it has been made available. If you have any questions, please reach out to Lara Ettenson at NRDC (lettenson@nrdc.org).
CPUC Ruling re: High Opportunity EE Programs

In addition to determining what "high opportunity programs or projects" are, and how to authorize them, this ruling addresses several ancillary issues relating to such programs or projects: 1. Preliminary interpretation of the phrase "estimated energy savings and energy usage reductions, taking into consideration the overall reduction in normalized metered energy consumption as a measure of energy savings;" 2. How to determine the cost-effectiveness of such programs and projects; 3. Customer incentive levels and timing; 4. How to evaluate, measure, and verify savings from such programs and projects ex post; 5. How to set shareholder incentives for such programs and projects.

Recap of EE in 2015 and Prospects for 2016
2015 was a good year for energy efficiency - 2016 could be even better. Check out this article on the many successes for EE this past year and what's ahead this year on a national level.
Enterprise Internet of Things: What Is It and How Will It Improve Energy Management

Those charged with a facility's energy management are beginning to hear the phrase "Internet of Things" (IoT) increasingly more often within the industry, and many are asking how to use the concept of the Enterprise IoT to leverage data in their buildings and find opportunities for improvement.

RFP: emPower Central Coast Energy Coach
The emPower Central Coast program of the Energy and Sustainability Division of the County of Santa Barbara request proposals from qualified professionals to serve by contract as "Energy Coach" primarily for the San Luis Obispo County area. The "Energy Coach" is a program offering aimed at providing greater assistance to homeowners and contractors participating in the emPower Central Coast EE program. Proposals must be submitted by 5:00pm on Monday, January 18, 2016.


And that is all for this week!

Statewide LG EE Best Practices: Weekly Update

Here are your WEEkly Updates:
  1. New Building Codes Study Shares Important Lessons for Research and Evaluation
    A recent paper from the Florida Solar Energy Center, "Why Doesn't 25 Years of an Evolving Energy Code Make More of a Difference," presents a fascinating story about the impacts of the Florida new home building energy code. They found a number of key factors that helped explain the lower-than-expected energy savings.
  2. Lower Savings Than Predicted? Try Calibration
    This study, funded by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and performed by Performance Systems Development, identified the underlying causes for over-estimation of contractor-reported energy savings and assessed the potential impacts on savings prediction accurately.
  3. 11/16 ARCCA Learning Session: The Ins and Outs of the LA Energy Atlas
    Join the Alliance of Regional Collaboratives for Climate Adaptation (ARCCA) and Dr. Stephanie Pincetl and Zoe Elizabeth from the California Center for Sustainable Communities (CCSC) to learn about what it took to get the LA Energy Atlas project started, challenges the project faced when developing this tool, how to navigate and utilize the Atlas, and what it will take for an atlas to be developed for your community.
  4. 11/18 CPUC EM&V Studies Workshop to Vet the Update of the REN and LGP Chapters of the EM&V Roadmap
    Join the CPUC Energy Division and the CPUC EM&V Studies Stakeholder Advisory Group for a public "twork"shop on identifying the most urgent and appropriate next studies in the LGP and REN-CCA EM&V Roadmaps. The call will take place from 10-11am at 886-630-5989 PIN 336 2110#. A presentation will be posted soon on eecoordinator.info for you to follow along on the call.
  5. Job Opportunity: Energy and Sustainability Project Manager, County of Santa Barbara
    The County of Santa Barbara's Energy and Sustainability Initiatives Division (housed in the Community Services Department) is seeking exceptional candidates for Project Supervisor (a management level position) to provide analytical support and development for multi-jurisdictional energy and sustainability projects such as Community Choice Energy and community efficiency and clean energy programs. Application and supplemental questionnaire deadline is 11/30/15.
  6. Job Opportunity: Senior Project Manager, County of Orange
    The County of Orange Facilities Maintenance and Central Utility Facility has an exciting opportunity for a Senior Project Manager in the Utility/Energy Unit. The incumbent will serve as a subject matter expert for programs and issues associated with all County utilities, including power, water, gas, trash, and sewer. The position is open until Friday 11/13/15 at 11:59PM Pacific Time.
  7. Job Opportunity: Energy Technician, Sierra Nevada Energy Watch
    The Sierra Nevada Energy Watch (SNEW) Energy Technician is responsible for working in collaboration with the SNEW team to achieve energy savings goal, supporting Project Managers from the sales phase through the inspection of the completed project. This position is open until filled with a start date between December 2015 and January 2016.
  8. Energy Calendar
    If you have any events you would like to see added to this calendar, please send details to statewideenergycoordinator@lgc.org.


And that is all for this week!