Resource Library

San Diego Gas & Electric is one of a growing number of utilities that offer special time-of-use rates for utility customers that own electric vehicles, which enable customers to receive lower rates for charging their vehicles between midnight and 5 A.M. Such EV-TOU rates are offered to encourage customers to limit daytime usage of electricity, when demand for electricity is highest.

Based on current technology, EVs provide measurable direct financial benefits and very significant indirect benefits making them worth yof serious consideration, especially in pooled fleet applications. This paper summarizes the benefits based on the leading research.

West Hills Community College's Westside Institute of Technology offers workforce training for students interested in utility work, solar photovoltaic farm maintenance, residential solar installation, weatherization, and more. Electrical courses focus on the National Electrical Code (NEC), electrical safety, blueprint reading, residential and industrial applications, and residential and solar farm applications.

The Electricity Storage Handbook is a how-to guide for utility and rural cooperative engineers, planners,and decision makers to plan and implement energy storage projects. The Handbook also serves as an information resource for investors and venture capitalists, providing the latest developments in technologies and tools to guide their evaluations of energy storage opportunities.It includes a comprehensive database of the cost of current storage systems in a wide variety of electric utility and customer services, along with interconnection schematics. A list of significant past and present energy storage projects is provided for a practical perspective.

The City of Portland provides a case study for accepting solar permit applications online. The program, available to approved contractors, has defined criteria for what types of projects are eligible to submit online. This model can be followed by other jurisdictions. The hyperlink below is a snapshot from the relevant page of the City website.

Starting in 2012, San Francisco began offering Instant Online Permits for PV, expanding on its online permitting system for mechanical, electrical, and plumbing permits. Solar permit applications for systems 4 kW and under can now be submitted online, paid for online and, once approved, printed remotely. These online services are expected to save installers time and money. Payments are currently made through a third party vendor, LinktoGov. Click on the hyperlink below to view the 2-page PV permit application form, or go to the Source link to visit the Instant Online Permit website.

This one page chart lists 11 solar-specific RFPs that have previously been developed by municipalities, and shows in chart format which elements each one features. There are nine critical RFP elements listed including 'Tech Specs', 'Roof Warranty', 'Performance Monitoring', and 'Financial Requirements'. It contains links to access each document.

This template is a checklist for public agencies to quickly determine which solar PV projects may be eligible for an expedited permitting process, rather than a standard one. It applies to one- and two-family residential dwellings.

This hyperlink is the text from PG&Es Net Energy Metering website explaining the eligibility requirements for NEM and the different NEM programs available (1 page).

Eighteen national, regional and local lenders have been selected by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to participate in the PowerSaver Loan Program, a multi-year pilot program offering low-cost financing to qualified homeowners for energy-efficient home improvements. Biomass heating systems may be financed by PowerSaver Loans when they meet the requirements outlines in the attached document.

This sheet lists eligible energy efficiency, water efficiency, and renewable energy products that individuals can receive financing for through CaliforniaFIRST, the largest residential Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program operating in California as of 2014. More information about the program can be found on their website.

State-level community shared solar policies can be grouped based on how the benefits of community shared solar are distributed. In general, there are three broad categories: group billing, virtual net metering, and joint ownership. This resource provides an overview of each category as well as examples.

This guide, written for association boards of directors and architectural review committees, discusses the advantages of solar energy and examines the elements of state solar rights provisions designed to protect homeowner access to associated benefits. It then presents a number of recommendations associations can use to help bring solar to their communities.

A Solar Power Hour Presentation on achieving Solar Roadmap Goals Z2 “Promote Solar Ready Construction via Ordinances or Building Codes” and Z3 “Require Solar on New Construction. This presentation covers background information as well as case studies on communities that have already taken action.

As a part of its Green Buildings & Energy Efficiency focus, PlaNYC's website features a list of certified energy auditor and retrocommissioner training programs, both online and in-person.

The Energy Savings Study Incentive is designed to help Pepco’s Commercial & Industrial (C&I) customers evaluate the energy performance of their facilities and identify energy savings opportunities. Incentives are offered for two types of studies. An approved Trade Ally or service provider will conduct a Walk-Through Energy Assessment and then submit a report that identifies both low-cost/no-cost measures and those that require a financial incentive.

New York City's Local Law 84, part of the Greener, Greater Buildings Plan, requires public and private buildings in New York City to track energy and water consumption using the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager tool. This report highlights the Portfolio Manager benchmarking results for libraries, fire stations, police stations, warehouses, medical offices, K-12 schools, courthouses and office buildings.

The City of Austin’s Energy Conservation Audit and Disclosure Ordinance requires that eligible commercial facilities calculate their energy performance scores not later than June 16, 2011, using a rating system approved by the director of the Austin Electric Utility. Facilities must disclose this information to a purchaser or prospective purchaser of the facility before the time of sale. The City has identified the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager tool as the approved system for buildings with more than 5,000 square feet of space.

California Assembly Bill 1103 requires that as of January 1, 2009, electric and gas utilities maintain and make available to building owners the energy consumption data of all nonresidential buildings in a format compatible with the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager tool. It also requires, as of January 1, 2010, that a nonresidential building owner or operator disclose Portfolio Manager benchmarking data and scores to prospective parties as part of a whole-building transaction.

Most states offer energy incentive programs to help offset energy costs. The Federal Energy Management Program's Energy Incentive Program helps Federal agencies take advantage of these incentives by providing information about the funding program opportunities available in each state, including utility programs administered by the local utility and paid for by utility ratepayers through their bundled rates.

The PG&E Energy Training Center in Stockton provides energy efficiency training for residential and small commercial building professionals. Low- and no-cost instruction, discussion, and hands-on training for a number of energy efficiency careers, including HVAC specialization, energy auditing, and more. PG&E also offers a tool lending library.

This primer provides an overview of key considerations for state and local policymakers, utility energy efficiency program administrators, and program partners such as financial institutions and contractors in designing and implementing successful energy efficiency financing programs for existing buildings in the residential and commercial sectors.

Executive Directive 2006-0004 requires a 20 percent increase in the energy efficiency of state buildings by 2015. This Directive led the Division of Facilities Construction and Management to implement the use of the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager tool as the state benchmarking tool and to require all state buildings to benchmark energy consumption using Portfolio Manager.

Executive Directive 2005-4 requires the Department of Management and Budget to establish an energy efficiency target for all state buildings managed by a department or agency within the Executive Branch of state government. It requires that all state buildings occupied by state employees be benchmarked using the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager tool.

This fact sheet from the Alliance to Save Energy offers an overview of Energy Efficiency Resource Standards (EERS), a policy requiring electricity and/or natural gas utilities to achieve specified levels of customer energy savings. It describes state and local successes with EERSs as well as proposals for a national EERS.