California Climate & Energy Collaborative

Landmark legislation: California’s water-energy nexus voluntary registry encourages water efficiency and emissions reductions

Sarina Soor
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“Water usage is not often thought of in the context of energy. However, in a drought-ridden state like California, the transportation and treatment of water make up nearly 20% of the state’s energy usage. Senator Pavley’s innovative bill sets a new precedent for holding utilities accountable while also gathering new information on water’s impact on…

Saving Watts to Save Drops: Inclusion of Water Efficiency in Energy Efficiency Programs

Sarina Soor
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Energy production and consumption require water, and water transport and treatment need energy. Researchers and practitioners are increasingly interested in designing integrated programs to manage energy and water in tandem. Utilities typically do not focus on the avoided costs and indirect energy savings from reduced water consumption. Doing so would help them reduce expenditures and…

Saving Watts to Save Drops: Inclusion of Water Efficiency in Energy Efficiency Programs

Sarina Soor
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“Energy production and consumption require water, and water transport and treatment need energy. Researchers and practitioners are increasingly interested in designing integrated programs to manage energy and water in tandem. Utilities typically do not focus on the avoided costs and indirect energy savings from reduced water consumption. Doing so would help them reduce expenditures and…

Implementing Energy Optimization in Water Operations: Two Webinars for Water Utilities & Sanitation Districts

Sarina Soor
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Public water agencies face unique resource challenges, including rising operational costs, aging infrastructure, degrading influent quality, and increasing demand. Energy optimization projects can provide customized solutions for reducing process energy consumption, facility operational costs, and equipment maintenance costs without sacrificing system reliability or effluent quality. Free programs for designing and implementing energy optimization projects are…

Rural Energy Audits for Water and Wastewater Systems

Sarina Soor
Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC), a non-profit organization, provides environmental assistance to small municipal and nonprofit water systems, wastewater systems and solid waste management programs in 11 western states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. The State Water Board has contracts in place with RCAC to provide technical assistance…

Humboldt State Looks for Entrepreneurs to Save Energy & Water

Sarina Soor
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“Humboldt State University is among the northern-most hubs of the BlueTechValley Innovation Cluster. It’s part of the interconnection of multiple incubators, or entrepreneurship programs spanning the state serving 39 counties. The solid goal of the BlueTechValley initiative was established at Fresno State, and it’s all about managing water and energy resources in agriculture and other…

Helping Water Utilities Reduce California’s Energy Use and Emissions

Sarina Soor
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“Over the next three and a half years, researchers at the University of California, Davis, will work with the Moulton Niguel Water District and Helio Energy Solutions to better understand how water utilities can reduce California’s energy use as the state works to meet its ambitious greenhouse-gas reduction goals.” “The California Energy Commission awarded the Center…

Webinars 8/23-24: Lessons Learned in CivicSpark Project Implementation, Central Coast, Los Angeles, and Southern California Regions

Sarina Soor
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CivicSpark is a Governor’s Initiative AmeriCorps program that provides capacity-building support to local governments to accelerate California’s response and resiliency to climate change. These webinars aim to provide a snapshot of some of the accomplishments of the 2015-16 service year, with an emphasis on sharing lessons learned and best practices. (more…)

The Latest from BayREN’s Pay as You Save (PAYS) On-Bill Water Efficiency Program

Sarina Soor
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The following was shared in the Bay Area Regional Energy Network (BayREN)’s July 5th newsletter. To subscribe, or learn more about BayREN’s programs, visit bayren.org. Water customers in Windsor and Hayward can use Windsor Efficiency PAYS® and Green Hayward PAYS® to install water upgrades with no up-front cost and immediate (more…)

Capture the Power of Saving Water: Title 20 Regulations for Plumbing Fittings and Fixtures (and Energy Code Ace Resources to Help Your Community Comply)

Sarina Soor
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  Did you know that in California, plumbing fittings and plumbing fixtures are regulated by recently updated standards that are more stringent than federal standards? In 2015, California’s Title 20 established water efficiency standards requiring lavatory faucets and (more…)