low-income – California Climate and Energy Collaborative

Opinion: All Californians deserve cleaner, low-cost power

July 26, 2018

dac, low-income, renewable energy, solar power, underresourced communities

“Over the past decade, Californians have installed close to 6,700 megawatts of rooftop solar on resident-owned homes throughout the state. Unfortunately, as solar adoption and investment have increased, low-income residents — homeowners and renters — have been left behind. This disparity has demonstrated the need for incentive programs to establish equity as a priority from…

Better Together: Linking and Leveraging Energy Programs for Low-Income Households

February 28, 2018

Sarina Soor

dac, energy efficiency, energy programs, epa, low-income, renewable energy

“EPA is committed to helping communities benefit from energy efficiency and renewable energy. To facilitate this effort, EPA is developing a series of case studies and webinars to highlight effective efforts by state and local agencies, non-profits, and utilities to bring EE/RE to low-income households. This webinar series explored the topic of linking and leveraging…

Utilities planning to move Californians to time-of-use pricing need solutions for low-income customers

February 9, 2018

Sarina Soor

CPUC, customers, dac, low-income, pricing, ratepayers, time of use, time of use pricing

“Last month, all three of California’s major investor-owned utilities submitted applications to the California Public Utilities Commission detailing their respective strategies for how to transition residential customers to time-of-use pricing. Time-of-use pricing, if done right, is a low-cost strategy to help meet California’s climate and clean energy goals. This innovative tool can help the state…

Low-income Energy Affordability Data (LEAD) Tool

February 9, 2018

Sarina Soor

dac, data, energy affordability, lead, low-income, tool

“The LEAD tool can be used to support program design and goal setting, and they can be paired with other data to improve LMI community energy benchmarking and program evaluation. Datasets are available for all 50 states, census divisions, and tract levels. You will have to enable macros in MS Excel to interact with the…

California’s Best Low-Income Climate Program is in Jeopardy

February 5, 2018

Sarina Soor

energy efficiency, low-income, NRDC, weatherization

California seems prosperous if talking about the state economy overall, as Governor Brown did in his State of the State address. But since the Great Recession, California’s poorest citizens have only gotten poorer, their incomes dropping by 25 percent. With less money in their pockets, more Californians are having their utilities shut off because they can’t afford their…

California will spend $1 billion on low-income, multifamily solar

January 19, 2018

Sarina Soor

disadvantaged communities, energy efficiency, low-income, solar

“alifornia is ready to spend $1 billion over the next decade on rooftop solar installation for low-income residents. In December, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved the creation of the Solar on Multifamily Affordable Housing (SOMAH) program. Funded by the statewide greenhouse gas cap-and-trade program, it will provide $100 million in annual solar installation…

Senate Bill 350 Disadvantaged Communities Advisory Group Call for Applicants

November 2, 2017

Sarina Soor

CEC, CPUC, disadvantaged communities, low-income

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and the California Energy Commission are seeking applications from interested persons to serve on the Senate Bill 350 Disadvantaged Communities Advisory Group (Advisory Group). Pursuant to Senate Bill 350 (De León, Chapter 547, Statutes of 2015) (SB350), the Clean Energy and Pollution Reduction Act of 2015, requires that the…

Nonprofit moves forward on new ‘net energy’ housing in Woodland

October 12, 2017

Sarina Soor

energy efficiency, low-income, multifamily

“‘Positive Net Energy’ means that the community will create more energy than it uses through high-efficiency building methods and materials, solar panels, energy-saving appliances and technology in each home as well as resident participation in an energy-saving lifestyle, stated Richards.” Click here to read more from Daily Democrat

Joint Agency Workshop on Senate Bill 350 Low-Income Barriers Study Implementation

July 28, 2017

Sarina Soor

CEC, energy efficiency, low-income, renewables/DERs, SB 350

The California Energy Commission and the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) will jointly conduct a workshop to discuss implementation of the Low-Income Barriers ‘Study, Part A: Overcoming Barriers to Energy Efficiency and Renewables for Low-income Customers and Small Business Contracting Opportunities in Disadvantaged. Communities. (“Barriers Study”). The Barriers Study was mandated by Senate Bill 350…

Joint Agency Workshop on Senate Bill 350 Low-Income Barriers Study Implementation

July 20, 2017

Sarina Soor

CEC, energy efficiency, low-income, renewables/DERs, SB 350

Low-Income Energy Efficiency Programs: A Baseline Assessment of Programs Serving the 51 Largest Cities

July 13, 2017

Sarina Soor

ACEEE, energy efficiency, low-income

ACEEE addresses the key questions and challenges around low-income programs for single-family homes. Of the total spending on residential energy efficiency programs in 2014, 18% of electric efficiency expenditures and 34% of natural gas efficiency spending went toward low-income programs. Particularly for electricity expenditures, there is a need for more equitable spending on efficiency programs…