Statewide LG EE Best Practices: Weekly Update

Here are your wEEkly Updates:

1. International climate commitments: The nations of the world are marking this Earth Day with the signing of the Agreement made in Paris last December to make efforts to limit global temperature rise.

2. New issue of CURRENTS: Why does this matter for local governments? Take a look at interviews from Oakland Program Manager Daniel Hamilton and Mayor Tom Butt of Richmond in the Spring 2016 edition of CURRENTS, now online – and look for a video from the interviews with even more later this spring.

3. The Spring edition of CURRENTS also shares an overview FAQ of the rolling portfolio process supporting stakeholder participation in the planning for the next five years of energy efficiency programs, in response to numerous inquiries. You can track the latest on the rolling portfolio by signing up on the EE Coordinating Committee website (www.caeecc.org), or see more from your Coordinator here. Upcoming events include public comments on residential and commercial sector program planning this coming Monday (4/25).

4. Also on the rolling portfolio: yesterday afternoon, the CPUC’s Energy Division released its staff proposal on Energy Efficiency Baselines, following the commitments made in October’s rolling portfolio CPUC Decision and responding to AB 802’s requirement that the CPUC allow energy efficiency programs to provide incentives based on metered energy savings. Comments are due back May 10, 2016.

5. New national energy legislation: the U.S. Senate has passed the first broad national energy bill since 2007: the Energy Policy Modernization Act. Learn more about the bill from TheHill.com, and hear why ACEEE thinks the bill is helpful for state and local governments.

6. EE and jobs: The results of the 2016 California Advanced Energy Employment Survey are out, and show advanced energy job growth of 19%. To review click here.

7. Valuing EE for cost savings: a recent survey shows that most Americans still value energy efficiency the most for the cost savings it brings them. Learn more on Energy Efficiency Markets’s site, here.

8. Know businesses in your jurisdictions looking to go green? They may be interested in the Sustainable Brands Conference in San Diego, June 6-7^th. Click here for more info.

9. Corporations tackling climate change: To see more on what corporations are already doing to mitigate climate change, click here for a new GreenBiz report, “Accountability for Climate Action.”

10. Leadership in solar: Just in time for Earth Day, San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to put in place solar requirements for new construction: all new commercial and residential buildings with 10 floors or less will be required to install solar photovoltaic, solar water panels or a combination of the two starting 2017.

11. Solar and EE, in pools: Solar pool heating is a great way to reduce the energy spent on pool heating. Take a look at these case studies shared by CSE featuring real estate companies, aquatic centers, and schools using solar and energy efficiency measures and leveraging incentives to cut pool energy use and costs.

12. Water and energy efficiency: Every gallon of water that’s wasted not only contributes to drought concerns, but is additional water that needs to be pumped, heated, and treated. Learn tips to start saving from U.S. EPA’s WaterSense Program lead, here.

13. Global water and energy best practices: the Environmental Defense Fund covers what’s needed to create a smart future for water and energy here.

14. Looking for water/EE funds? The California Energy Commission (CEC) released a grant funding opportunity earlier this week for water and energy efficiency demonstrations. Learn more here.

15. Pollution Reduction Strategy: stakeholder feedback. The Air Resources Board (ARB) will conduct a second public workshop to discuss ARB's Proposed Short-Lived Climate Pollutant Reduction Strategy (Proposed Strategy) at the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, also available online, on May 3rd. For more information click here.

16. Understanding State-Level EE: If you missed Tuesday’s webinar on navigating and leveraging EE resources at the state agency level, you can find it here, and provide feedback on additional energy efficiency 101 resources you’d like to see. (And the SEEC Forum in June will for the first time feature a Energy Efficiency 101 workshop the day before.)

17. Considering Geothermal? A new guide was released this week reviewing opportunities and best practices in California geothermal power generation, direct use, and heat pumps.

18. The 7^th Annual SEEC Forum: Call for Posters! Are you registered for the SEEC Forum yet? This year’s Forum will feature a poster session for sharing a project or program’s best practices, a new tool or approach to EE (or a proven one with interesting results), and more – click here to propose a poster.

19. Climate Mitigation Event: For more on applying lessons from Paris in California, TRC is hosting a 4/28 event in San Diego: Climate Change Mitigation: From International Goals to Local Successes and Challenges. Click here for more.

20. Job Announcement: Redwood Coast Energy Authority is hiring for an Energy Technician to assist with the development, implementation, and on-going operation of various energy efficiency and renewable energy programs. Click here for more information.

As always, you can keep track of relevant events by connecting to the EE Events Calendar, and find more resources being added daily on the EECoordinator website. If there are events or topics you'd like added, please contact me.

That’s all for this week!