Visalia

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!

What Has SJVCEO Been up to in September

We hope that everyone is just as happy as SJVCEO that fall has arrived and it is now time for pumpkin spice lattes and sweaters!

For the VIEW Partnership we are embarking on one of the busiest months of the year, energy efficiency awareness month. The partnership continues its long tradition of fall outreach events with hosting four outreach event within Kings and Tulare Counties. These outreach events allow us to connect with residents on energy efficiency tips as well as bill saving programs from the IOU's. We also enjoy that the partnership is able to connect with local supervisors on energy issues and betterment of local communities. Please check out VIEW website for upcoming events. We might just be in your neighborhood during the coming month. We also would like to applaud all of our partner cities and counties on their hard work over this past year. We were able to achieve the partnerships energy saving goal during the month of July. Now we are beginning to figure out the project pipeline for the coming year.


The partnership is also very excited to announce that the City of Visalia has just received ENERGY STAR Certification for its transit building. Visalia is the first partner city that has achieved the status. Way to go Visalia we applaud all of your hard work.

The HDR Partnership has also been very hard at work on finishing projects for the year of 2016 as well as brainstorming projects for 2017. We are happy to say that we already have projects in the que for 2017! We would also like to thank all of our partners who have been hard at work on projects. We are excited to be adding outreach events to the partnership next year. This year the partnership did take part in the conservation fair at the High Desert Mavericks stadium in August. It was wonderful connecting with residents on energy issues as hearing their praise for SoCal Edison. We look forward to participating in even more events in the future.

We would also like to wish all of our readers a Happy Halloween as we will not post another update until the beginning of November!  








SCE Newsroom: Energy-Efficient Design Helps Visalia Boost Precious Water Resources

The central California city is eligible for $500,000 in incentives from SCE for its largest-ever capital project.
Water scarcity is nothing new in Visalia, a city about 45 miles southeast of Fresno.
Since 1991, Visalia’s City Council has enforced water restrictions. And for decades, water from the regional aquifer has been depleted faster than it can be replenished.
“This area has been water deficient for a very long time,” said Kim Loeb, Visalia’s natural resource conservation manager.
Part of Visalia’s long-term water conservation strategy is the upgrade of its water treatment plant. The upgrade will enable the plant to treat wastewater to a higher quality, producing recycled water that meets state and federal standards required for irrigation use. At $140 million, it’s the largest capital project in the city’s history, and possibly the most challenging.  
The completed facility will also require much more power from the electric grid.
“We decided early on in the process to bring in Southern California Edison at the ‘ground floor’ as we designed the project,” said Jim Ross, Visalia’s public works manager.
Engineering, planning and design started nearly eight years before the project broke ground in April 2014. When the project was conceived, the goal was energy efficiency and a reduced carbon footprint.
“But after four years of the drought, the project became even more critical,” said Mark Okino, an account manager in SCE’s Business Customer Division.
Treating Visalia’s wastewater to the higher standard, while remaining energy efficient and moderating any hike in electricity costs, was a tall order. Yet, by participating in SCE’s Savings By Design program, the city is eligible for up to $500,000 in incentives by implementing energy-efficiency recommendations in the facility’s construction.
“Energy efficiency is the cheapest and cleanest method of supplying the growing need for electricity,” said Traeger Cotten, an SCE field engineer. “Incentives paid to Savings By Design customers help encourage efficient designs and help defray a portion of the costs associated with high-efficiency equipment.”
By implementing SCE’s recommendations, Cotten estimates the plant — which processes 12 million gallons per day — could reduce its energy consumption by more than 10 million kilowatt-hours annually.
Once the upgraded facility is online in April 2017, Visalia will be able to complete an innovative water exchange agreement. The city will provide the majority of its treated water — of high enough quality for farmers to use for irrigating their crops — to the downstream Tulare Irrigation District.
In return, the district will allocate potable water from its federal allotment upstream to Visalia who can then recharge the groundwater under the city. Visalia will also keep some of its treated water to irrigate its golf courses and some parks.
“All of this is being done by gravity,” said Ross, “so no electricity is needed to facilitate the exchange.” With SCE’s help, Visalia is taking wastewater that would otherwise travel outside the city boundaries and turning it into recycled water that benefits its citizens. 
* Article written by Ron Gales from the SCE Newsroom. To follow more of their coverage please Click Here.