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Executive Order S-20-04 and the accompanying the Green Building Action Plan direct the State to use aggressive action to reduce the volume of energy purchased from the grid in State facilities 20 percent by 2015. In so doing, the State is taking all cost-effective measures and financing opportunities described in the Green Building Action Plan, which also directs the State to purchase or operate ENERGY STARŪ electrical equipment whenever cost-effective.
The California Public Utility Commission (PUC) launched the most ambitious energy efficiency and conservation campaign in the history of the U.S. utility industry by authorizing energy efficiency plans and $2 billion in funding for 2006-2008 for the State's utilities, reaffirming that cost-effective energy efficiency is the State's first line of defense against power shortages.
Each of California's investor-owned utilities administers energy efficiency programs designed specifically to meet their customers' needs. The utilities oversee a set of programs to decrease energy use in the following areas:
- Lighting & Appliances programs are designed to improve consumer awareness of the energy and non-energy benefits of efficient lighting and appliances, increase the availability and demand for these products, and promote emerging technologies.
- Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Systems programs focus on HVAC systems seek to encourage the replacement of inefficient systems with efficient ones, increase consumer recognition of ENERGY-STARŪ products, increase training of trade professionals in efficient HVAC systems, encourage design using the "whole-systems" approach, and support the improvement of efficiency standards.
- Motors programs promote optimal motor system design and sizing, facilitate consumer purchase of efficient motors and increase the understanding of motor life-cycle costs.
- Retrofits and Renovation programs are designed to increase energy efficient investments at the time of retrofit, renovation, or sale of a home, link interested customers with providers of energy retrofit services and increase the training of professionals who perform energy efficient retrofits. The utilities also administer programs that target customers when investment decisions are made - during retrofits and renovations and during the new construction of buildings and homes.
- New Construction programs seek to increase the number of energy efficient new homes and buildings being built, promote the ENERGY-STARŪ New Homes brand, raise awareness of the existence and benefits of energy efficient home mortgages, promote energy efficiency in the professions of architecture and engineering, and promote construction exceeding Title 24 building standards.
Additional Resources for Rebates, Grants & Loans
Energy Efficiency Programs
Lighting & Appliances
The lighting and appliance programs are designed to (1) improve consumer awareness of the energy and non-energy benefits of efficient lighting and appliances, (2) increase the availability and demand for these products, and (3) promote emerging technologies. Specific techniques applied in a variety of different programs include the following:
- Promoting ENERGY-STARŪ products.
- Offering direct rebates to consumers of energy efficient products.
- Educating consumers, manufacturers and distributors of energy efficient products using web-sites, newsletters, educational workshops, and on-site auditing.
- Targeting multifamily units for volume purchasing of these products.
- Offering financial incentives to manufacturers to increase the supply and lower the price of these product.
- Providing equipment replacement subsidies or rebates.
- Showcasing new technologies at important consumer locations.
Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Systems
Programs focused on HVAC systems seek to: (1) encourage the replacement of inefficient systems with efficient ones, (2) increase consumer recognition of ENERGY-STARŪ products, (3) increase training of trade professionals in efficient HVAC systems, (4) encourage design using the "whole-systems" approach, and (5) support the improvement of efficiency standards. These programs accomplish these goals by:
- Educating consumers through bill inserts and call centers.
- Providing training and technical assistance to HVAC contractors and distributors.
- Providing financial incentives to distributors and installers for stocking and installing efficient units.
- Managing Standard Performance Contract (SPC) programs for commercial customers.
- Providing financing to residential customers for energy efficient HVAC projects.
Motors
This set of programs endeavors to: (1) promote optimal motor system design and sizing, (2) facilitate consumer purchase of efficient motors and (3) increase the understanding of motor life-cycle costs. These programs accomplish these goals by:
- Providing information to customers planning to buy, sell or renovate a building on retrofit providers and ENERGY-STARŪ windows, equipment, lighting, appliances, etc.
- Making energy audits available to customers to assist them in determining their efficiency retrofit needs.
- Providing training and technical assistance for trade professionals through libraries and trade shows.
- Providing financing to residential customers for energy efficient projects.
Retrofits and Renovations
These programs are designed to: (1) increase energy efficient investments at the time of retrofit, renovation, or sale of a home, (2) link interested customers with providers of energy retrofit services and (3) increase the training of professionals who perform energy efficient retrofits. The utilities also administer programs that target customers when investment decisions are made - during retrofits and renovations and during the new construction of buildings and homes. These programs accomplish these goals by:
- Providing information to customers planning to buy, sell or renovate a building on retrofit providers and ENERGY-STARŪ windows, equipment, lighting, appliances, etc.
- Making energy audits available to customers to assist them in determining their efficiency retrofit needs.
- Providing training and technical assistance for trade professionals through libraries and trade shows.
- Providing financing to residential customers for energy efficient projects.
New Construction
These programs seek to (1) increase the number of energy efficient new homes and buildings being built, (2) promote the ENERGY-STARŪ New Homes brand, (3) raise awareness of the existence and benefits of energy efficient home mortgages, (4) promote energy efficiency in the professions of architecture and engineering, and (5) promote construction exceeding Title 24 building standards.
Market participants include consumers looking to buy new homes and decision makers in new construction projects; builders, contractors, and manufacturers; real estate agents and mortgage professionals; and architects, engineers and students.
Programs include the following:
- Targeting information to customers to promote energy efficient homes and mortgages.
- Recognizing new developments that include exemplary energy efficient homes.
- Offering training, design assistance, and information to trade professionals.
- Offering training to sales agents to enable them to more effectively sell efficiency upgrades to home-buyers.
- Holding a "green" building design competition for students to encourage formal education in energy efficiency.
- Offering financial incentives to builders of ENERGY-STARŪ homes and to the owners, builders, or developers of efficient commercial buildings.
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