Did Y'all Know? | July 2023
Did Y’all Know…
Our colleagues and friends over at the 3C REN are hosting an upcoming forum (on August 9th) to discuss one of the most prominent barriers folks are facing today, permitting. Learn more about the “Breaking Barriers - Energy Friendly Permitting” below:
“In this virtual forum, we will have speakers share best practices and strategies for permitting processes, which may include transitioning to online permitting, virtual inspection, energy friendly permit programs, and more. Speakers will also address common challenges to permitting for electrification, e.g. setbacks, noise levels, panel sizing/utility pushback.”
Register for this exciting forum here!
Did Y’all Know…
the 1st Annual Arvin Clean Energy Fair was held on Saturday, June 24, 2023, at the City of Arvin’s Garden in the Sun Park and the event was a great success! The SJVCEO has a long-time relationship with the City of Arvin through local government partnership channels and was happy to participate in the event by hosting a table.
The SJVCEO table offered fun giveaways such as toothbrushes, reusable straws, and candy for children. In addition to giveaways, SJVCEO offered information on various PG&E programs with a focus on the Pre-Owned EV program with QR codes as well as applications for the program rebate. The SJVCEO team talked to numerous Arvin residents about the program, the value of the rebates as well as explained how those rebates can be stacked upon already existing State and Federal tax credits!
The SJVCEO table offered fun giveaways such as toothbrushes, reusable straws, and candy for children. In addition to giveways, SJVCEO offered information on various PG&E programs such as: CARE< FERA< Medical Baseline, New PG&E Solar Billing Program and PG&E’s Micro Business Direct Install Program.
The event offered free food, beverages, and music to attendees. There were also a number of electric vehicles, bicycles, and utility vehicles available for attendees to test-drive. The San Joaquin Valley Electric Vehicle Partnership (SJVEVP), of which the SJVCEO is an active member, provided 10 of the passenger vehicles that were available for attendees to test drive. These vehicles included such makes and models as Hyundai’s Ioniq SE and 6 SEL, Mustang Mach E, Kia Niro, VinFast VF6 and VF8, Tesla Model 3, Chevrolet Bolt EUV, and fully electric Jeep Wrangler.
A big selling point for any vehicle is the customers’ experience driving said vehicle. This is particularly true when introducing new technology into the driving experience. Adoption of EVs has been slow in many communities because there are not ample opportunities to test drive electric vehicles due to the overwhelming number of them being purchased online. This means that there are little or no EVs on the dealership lots. The purpose of an event like the Arvin Clean Energy Fair is to allow for potential buyers to have those experiences and to understand that the EV experience can be very similar, if not, better in many ways than their experience driving a fuel combustion vehicle.
Did Y’all Know…
SoCalREN is now offering financial incentives to cover up to 100% of the equipment and installation costs (for facilities in underserved areas and up to 80% for all other facilities) for eligible heat pump water heater (HPWH) installations on a first-come, first-served basis. These supercharged incentives aim to highlight energy-efficient technology, make the transition to this equipment more affordable, and encourage agencies to take actions that will reduce their carbon footprint.
To help you evaluate your facilities' eligibility for HPWH incentives through SoCalREN, check out the HPWH checklist. By filling it out, we can quickly assess available opportunities for your agency to receive the benefits from this limited-time offering. Please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions!
Did Y’all Know…
Real and perceived barriers to building electrification, renewable generation, and advanced energy storage paint the outline to the next hit novel chronicling a dystopian future. Imagine a world not so far off, perhaps only a few generations, where we have electrified communities, resilient to the escalating climate crisis. Who are they and will conflict emerge between those who have reliable access to resources and those who do not? The goal is simple—to discuss how to keep this potential eventuality squarely in the fiction section of our collective future. Guests discuss how policy, energy code and programs intersect with building electrification and equitable access to resources and as well as barriers, community messaging and recommended actions to accelerate equitable change. Recorded live on September 21st, 2022 at the California Climate and Energy Collaborative (CCEC) Forum in San Diego, California. The conversation picks up immediately following the hugely successful “Building Electrification: Dystopian Novel or an Opportunity for Equitable Action?” panel. Visit the full episode on SJVCEO’s PODEE on Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, and iHeartRadio! Hope you enjoy!
Did Y’all Know…
this past month, our Executive Director, Courtney Blore Kalashian, was a speaker on the “Elevating and Equitably Engaging Hard-to-Reach Populations” session at the National Energy and Utility Affordability Coalition Conference. This session brought in A LOT of participants and fostered open dialogue about how to foster connections to better our communities in equitable ways. The SJVCEO highly recommends learning more about the opportunities that NEUAC offers and attending future conferences!
And of course, the SJVCEO was happy to attend and present at the annual CCEC Forum! Our very own Rochelle Butler was a panelist for the Existing Building Electrification: A Message of Hope and Action which was a continued conversation from 2022’s panel. Similar to last year's session, there was standing room only during this panel! The message of hope from this panel was that electrifying existing buildings is possible when led by local leaders and decision makers like you. Panelists covered the California Scoping plan and roadmap to zero emissions, code, programs focused on electrification, and innovative actions local government and community-based organizations are taking while integrating equity and environmental justice, while exploring opportunities and partnerships that provide the path to zero that we are reaching for.
Did Y’all Know…
In a world where the standards surrounding energy efficiency and carbon footprint are on everyone’s minds, we are all looking for solutions to lower the carbon emissions and tighten up energy efficiency in our new construction projects as well as ways to make our existing buildings more sustainable. Last month’s Fund-It Fast Chat covered a program that can help with these solutions. Check out the webisode live on our Youtube channel now to check out all the information you need to know about how the CEDA program can help you and your agency.
July’s Fund-It Fast Chat is just around the corner! For our 60th webisode celebration in May, we discussed electric vehicle procurement and how to go about converting your fleet to electric without breaking the bank, but we really only scratched the surface where EV procurement is concerned. This month we are continuing this discussion with Part II! We will focus on smart strategies to explore as well as upcoming policy that may affect those strategies. Be sure to register for the live webisode that will be taking place on Tuesday, July 11th from 10am-10:20am!
Did Y’all Know…
