best practices – California Climate and Energy Collaborative

Central Coast Sustainability Summit – Oct. 11

October 2, 2017

The Central Coast Sustainability Summit is organized in partnership between the Community Environmental Council; the Cities of Goleta, Santa Barbara, and Carpinteria; the County of Santa Barbara; and the University of California, Santa Barbara. The event brings together representatives from local governments and organizations to discuss common sustainability issues, share best practices, and seek partners…

Call for Proposals Closes July 3rd: 7th Annual Central Coast Sustainability Summit

June 23, 2017

Sarina Soor

best practices, conferences, resiliency, sustainability

The University of California, Santa Barbara, in partnership with the cities of Goleta, Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, the County of Santa Barbara, and the Community Environmental Council, will be hosting the 6th Annual Central Coast Sustainability Summit on Wednesday, October 11th, 2017. The event will bring together representatives from local governments and organizations to discuss common…

BayREN Forum: Household Electrification as a Pathway to On-Site ZNE

April 6, 2017

Sarina Soor

bay area, best practices, CEC, codes and standards, EE programs, electrification, energy efficiency, heat pumps, Local Governments in Action, zero net energy (ZNE)

The Bay Area Regional Energy Network (BayREN) hosted their first quarter regional forum on March 30th. The theme of the forum focused on household electrification to achieve zero net energy in buildings. The forum began with a presentation on ZNE goals for the 2019 Building Energy Efficiency Standards from Chris Meyer of the California Energy Commission (CEC).…

WRCOG Regional Streetlight Program

March 31, 2017

Sarina Soor

best practices, EE municipal programs, energy efficiency, Local Governments in Action, southern california, streetlighting

The Western Riverside Council of Governments created the Regional Streetlight Program to provide their member cities with energy efficient streetlighting options. WRCOG also created a demonstration area in the City of Hemet so residents can have input in the type of lighting that they want in their own communities. Click here to learn more about…

SDG&E Strategic Plan Best Practices Report

October 12, 2016

Julia Kim

best practices, EE Strategic Plan, SDG&E

Best Practices/Lessons Learned from Strategic Plan: 2013-2015 Final Report Funded by San Diego Gas & Electric Local Government Strategic Plan Strategies Program under the auspices of the California Public Utilities Commission.

From Environmental Leader: How Facilities Managers are Prioritizing Energy & Sustainability Initiatives (Hint: No-Cost and Low-Cost Savings Opportunities)

September 2, 2016

Sarina Soor

best practices, energy efficiency, publications, weekly updates

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 (more…)

New Electric Vehicle Research Cites Plug-In EV Expansion, Importance of Smart Grid Technologies

September 2, 2016

Sarina Soor

best practices, electric vehicles, new technologies, renewables/DERs

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 Utility Dive. The need for planning for electric…

Santa Barbara County Passes New Energy Efficiency Policy for Municipally Owned and Leased Facilities

August 30, 2016

Sarina Soor

benchmarking, best practices, building energy efficiency standards, central coast, compliance, energy efficiency, Local Governments in Action, weekly updates, zero net energy (ZNE)

Congratulations to Santa Barbara County, who has just passed a new “County of Santa Barbara Energy Efficiency Standards Policy for County Owned and Leased Facilities.” This comprehensive policy was passed by the Board of Supervisors on August 30th, and includes requirements for staff energy training, reporting of (more…)

Job Announcement (and News): Statewide Local Government Energy Efficiency Best Practices Coordinator, LGC

August 26, 2016

Sarina Soor

best practices, CPUC, energy efficiency, job announcements, SEEC, weekly updates

I will be leaving my position as your Statewide Local Government Energy Efficiency Best Practices Coordinator in early September. It’s been a real pleasure working to connect you all with best practices, resources – and to each other! The Local Government Commission (more…)

Lessons from the Sierra Club’s 4-Year Old Zero Net Energy Geothermal Building

August 26, 2016

Sarina Soor

best practices, building controls & analytics, buildings, energy efficiency, geothermal, renewables/DERs, weekly updates, zero net energy (ZNE)

We heard from several local governments at the SEEC Forum about the importance of not just design, but performance, in zero net energy buildings. (Learn from Berkeley, Santa Monica, SMUD, and San Diego County here). A geothermal zero net energy commercial (more…)

USDOE Webinar 8/26: Technology Innovation Competition

August 19, 2016

Sarina Soor

best practices, EE community programs, energy efficiency, events, new technologies, USDOE, webinars, weekly updates

The Energy Department will present a live webinar titled “JUMP SIEMENS Call for Innovation” on Friday, August 26, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Join this webinar to learn about JUMP, an online community seeking your input for technology (more…)

New Water-Energy Publication from ACEEE: The Energy-Water Nexus: Exploring the Stream of Opportunities

August 19, 2016

Sarina Soor

ACEEE, best practices, EE programs, energy efficiency, publications, water energy nexus, weekly updates

Increased coordination between the water and energy sectors breaks down traditional silos and paves the way for an integrative approach to saving energy and water. This week, ACEEE has released a new summary of water-energy efficiency research and best (more…)

From New Buildings Institute: California hits 100 ZNE verified and emerging buildings milestone

August 19, 2016

Sarina Soor

best practices, buildings, CEC, commercial, CPUC, EE Strategic Plan, energy efficiency, residential, zero net energy (ZNE)

The California Public Utilities Commission, California Energy Commission, and the New Buildings Institute (NBI) announced earlier this month California continues the march toward its zero net energy (ZNE) goals, with 108 new and renovated commercial (more…)

From GreenBiz: Why Sustainability Should Be America’s “Grand Strategy”

August 12, 2016

Sarina Soor

best practices, climate change, energy efficiency, resiliency, strategic planning, weekly updates

A new book from United States military leadership, “The New Grand Strategy: Restoring America’s Prosperity, Security and Sustainability in the 21st Century,” tells the story of a grand strategy, born within the Pentagon, to recapture America’s greatness at home and (more…)

From Zero Energy Project: Energy Efficient Codes Make Financial Sense

August 12, 2016

Sarina Soor

best practices, buildings, codes and standards, cost-effectiveness, energy efficiency, publications, residential, weekly updates, zero net energy (ZNE)

The following description and links are an excerpt from the Zero Energy Project’s recent newsletter. For more on the Zero Energy Project, click here. “Average homeowners are the biggest beneficiaries of more energy efficient building codes, says Daniel Bressett of the Alliance to Save Energy. Homeowners consistently state their preference for energy efficiency features, a point…