General News

Since 2022, the Department of Energy (DOE) has provided more than $250 million to California state and local governments as part of the Biden administration’s Investing in America Agenda. Some of these funds have gone towards advancing equity through the Justice40 Initiative, including projects that improve energy efficiency and resiliency. Visit DOE’s website to learn about recent developments in the state. 

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Legislation passed in 2022 requires the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to develop income-graduated fixed charges (IGFCs) for residential electricity bills by 2025. Rebalancing rates through IGFCs will alleviate some of the burden customers in households navigating low incomes bear related to funding utility operations. Coupled with reduced volumetric rates, these changes will more fairly fund the state’s energy and climate policies. Keep reading to better understand CPUC’s proposed rate reform.

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By state law, California must reduce emissions 40% by 2030 and 85% by 2045—at which point the state would achieve carbon neutrality.  In November, air quality officials released a plan to achieve this goal that includes eliminating the use of gas appliances over the next eight years in both residential and commercial buildings. 

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The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) passed in November of 2021 set aside about $1.2 trillion to improve and modernize transit, fight climate change, advance clean energy, widen broadband access and more. The NOFO Tracker maintains a list of active grant opportunities and funding programs available through the IIJA. It includes program eligibility requirements and application links and deadlines.

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Upon completion, a new microgrid in Tierrasanta will increase availability of renewable energy in peak demand hours. Greater reliability strengthens the community’s emergency preparedness strategy. This microgrid will have the capacity to provide energy to a fire station, a library, a medical center and schools in the event of a power outage. 

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Decision makers utilize the Healthy Buildings Toolkit to identify energy efficiency and indoor environment quality (IEQ) upgrades that can be funded through productivity gains and lower utility expenses. The Federal Energy Management Program and the General Services Administration developed this free resource with support from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. 

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The US Department of Energy on March 30, 2021, announced new energy efficiency standards for federal buildings set to take effect in 2023.

The new requirements will mandate all new federal buildings to comply with the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) beginning April 1, 2023. Any major retrofits to existing federal buildings will also be included under the updated codes.

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