behavioral programs – California Climate and Energy Collaborative

Report: Social Mobilization: How to encourage action on climate change

December 1, 2017

This analysis shows that by applying tailored programs with proven behaviour-change strategies, program administrators can more effectively succeed in goals such as reducing energy consumption and encouraging low-carbon lifestyles. We recommend that programmers work with environmental psychologists or other social scientists to design behaviour change programs that target specific behaviours within specific populations. Strategies should…

New Report from RFF: Behavioral Economics and Energy Efficiency Regulation

July 29, 2016

Sarina Soor

behavioral programs, best practices, EE community programs, EE programs, energy efficiency, publications, strategic planning, weekly updates

See the below overview of this new report from Resources for the Future (RFF) – or access the report on the RFF website. (more…)

New LBNL Paper Studies Best Practices in Energy Efficiency Competitions – and Other Competition Resources

July 5, 2016

Sarina Soor

behavioral programs, best practices, EE community programs, EE municipal programs, energy efficiency, publications

A new paper, “Competition, carbon, and conservation: Assessing the energy savings potential of energy efficiency competitions” is available to download on ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/home. A short abstract is below. (more…)

Employee engagement and workplace strategies for EE success

March 4, 2016

Sarina Soor

behavioral programs, best practices, EE community programs, EE municipal programs, EE programs, energy efficiency, stakeholder engagement, weekly updates

An article in Environmental Leader interviews sustainability leadership at General Motors, and uncovers some great tips for generating support for sustainability initiatives in the workplace – support that has allowed GM to make 130 of their sites waste-free, and generate $1 billion from recycling. I have seen all of the major points made work for energy…

CivicSpark Webinar 3/9: Social Media Marketing for Community Sustainability Efforts

February 26, 2016

Sarina Soor

behavioral programs, community leaders, EE community programs, EE programs, evaluation, events, measurement & verification, stakeholder engagement, webinars, weekly updates

CivicSpark is having a webinar on March 9th from 9:30-10:30AM that may be of interest to local governments developing community-focused energy efficiency programs and targeting energy efficiency in the community. The session is on Social Media Marketing specifically targeted at community-scale energy and environment outreach programs. The presentation by Dr. Kat Donnelly will focus on successful…

Resources for Plug Load Efficiency

February 22, 2016

Sarina Soor

AB 758, behavioral programs, best practices, buildings, CEC, energy efficiency, energy-efficient IT, plug load, Title 20, training

According to California’s Existing Buildings Energy Efficiency Action Plan, plug-in equipment is expected to account for 69% of the growth in building electricity consumption by 2030. Plug load management and energy efficiency was also a topic of discussion in the recent California’s Clean Economy legislative hearing. Luckily, there are resources that can guide activities local governments…

Sunnyvale releases Energy and Environmental “Fitness” App, Tracking Community EE Savings

January 30, 2016

Sarina Soor

behavioral programs, best practices, EE community programs, EE programs, energy data, energy efficiency, Local Governments in Action, residential

The City of Sunnyvale has released an app to the community focused on tracking energy efficiency and environmental actions. IGreen Sunnyvale was developed through a partnership with Raleigh app developer JouleBug, and enables Sunnyvale community members to track activities like riding a bike, avoiding waste, and reducing energy use. The app also connects users to…

Understanding and incentivizing participation in EE behavioral programs: resources

January 19, 2016

Sarina Soor

behavioral programs, best practices, EE programs, stakeholder engagement, strategic planning

Behavioral programs can be a great way to reduce energy use, and crafting the program to give energy users incentives to save is key. Financial incentives are a great motivator, but non-financial incentives shouldn’t be underestimated. Check out the State and Local Energy Action Network’s recommendations on how non-financial incentives can get energy users informed and…

San Jose and San Francisco Step Up and Power Down with new PG&E Program

June 22, 2015

Sarina Soor

bay area, behavioral programs, best practices, EE community programs, energy efficiency, Local Governments in Action, northern california

Through the new Step Up and Power Down initiative, the City of San Jose and the City of San Francisco will be engaging their communities’ local businesses to save energy. The initiative leverages the power of simple behavioral changes to improve energy efficiency by engaging businesses with energy-saving tips and other energy efficiency outreach. The…

Marin Sustainability Tracker Shares and Encourages EE Progress

March 14, 2015

Sarina Soor

bay area, behavioral programs, best practices, CCA, EE community programs, energy efficiency, evaluation, measurement & verification, northern california, PACE, renewables/DERs, residential, solar

The Marin Sustainability Tracker is a new and easy-to-use online tool that shares progress made throughout Marin County on different community goals – including community- and household-level energy use, deployment of solar photovoltaics (PV) and other green energy, deployment of LED streetlights, and participation in energy efficiency and sustainability programs such as PACE programs and…

Retrofit Chicago’s Commercial Buildings Initiative Receives Efficiency Impact Award

January 24, 2015

Sarina Soor

behavioral programs, benchmarking, best practices, buildings, commercial, community leaders, cost-effectiveness, EE community programs, energy efficiency, energy workforce, stakeholder engagement

The Retrofit Chicago Commercial Buildings Initiative has won the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance’s 2014 Inspiring Efficiency Impact Award. The Commercial Buildings Initiative is one of three components of Retrofit Chicago, the City of Chicago’s cross-sector effort to improve energy performance across municipal, commercial, and residential buildings throughout the city. To quote the Initiative’s website: In joining…

Community Energy Champion Grants Handbook and Case Studies

February 28, 2013

Sarina Soor

bay area, behavioral programs, best practices, community leaders, EE community programs, EE programs, energy efficiency, local government partnership, northern california, PG&E

In partnership with PG&E, the Silicon Valley Energy Watch has released the Community Energy Champion Grants Handbook and Case Studies, showcasing the best practices and effects of the Community Energy Champion Grants (CECG) program they run as a utility-local government partnership. The Handbook is available at the link above. To review the introduction, see below. Handbook…

Findings from the Silicon Valley Energy Watch’s Community Energy Champions Grant Program

April 28, 2012

Sarina Soor

bay area, behavioral programs, best practices, community leaders, EE community programs, energy efficiency, evaluation, funding, local government partnership, northern california, PG&E, pilots, publications, stakeholder engagement, strategic planning

The Silicon Valley Energy Watch’s white paper, The Community Energy Champions Grant Program: Leveraging Community Based Organizations and Local Governments to Effectively Implement Behavioral Energy Efficiency Programs, is now available. A second white paper in this two part series will be available in December 2012. Background from the paper is available below. In 2010, Pacific…