SoCalREN Quarterly Update
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The County of Los Angeles administers the Southern California Regional Energy Network (SoCalREN) to bring together a wide variety of services with one common goal: achieving unprecedented levels of energy savings throughout Southern California. Authorized in 2012 by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), SoCalREN provides services to residents, businesses, and public agencies throughout the areas served by Southern California Edison (SCE) and/or SoCalGas®.
Through the design and implementation of programs that impact homes, businesses, and public facilities, SoCalREN has helped reduce energy use throughout the region. From helping a multifamily property owner make improvements to tenant units, to guiding cities through the process of upgrading street lighting to increase energy efficiency (EE) and safety, the services provided by SoCalREN are making a difference. In addition, SoCalREN leads initiatives that help cities track energy use, assist minority and disadvantaged business enterprises obtain employment training, and more.
We invite you to read below about each program’s successes and new initiatives they’re currently implementing or plan to implement for 2021. In addition, you can view the SoCalREN Program Overview flyer here. The flyer can also be viewed in Spanish (Español), Korean (한국어), and Simplified Chinese (简体中文).
Please let us know if you have any feedback on this issue or suggestions for future issues. If you have colleagues or friends that would be interested in learning more about SoCalREN, please share our newsletter. Thank you for your interest in SoCalREN!
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Exciting Announcement – ReEnergizing Communities Podcast |
Launching at the end of Q1, SoCalREN is introducing its first-ever podcast, ReEnergizing Communities! ReEnergizing Communities will give leaders in sustainability who are making a difference across Southern California a platform to discuss their important work. Whether showing property managers and local governments better choices for energy use or highlighting opportunities for individuals in disadvantaged communities to pursue careers in energy and water efficiency, this podcast aims to connect listeners to conversations that can help influence change at work, at home, and in their communities.
The pilot episode of the ReEnergizing Communities podcast is focused on the topic of energy resiliency. Energy resiliency is defined as an entity's ability to withstand or recover quickly from disruptions in available and affordable energy resources. To help discuss this important topic are two representatives from the City of Palmdale, Ben Lucha, and Kathy Wells, as well as Lujuana Medina from Los Angeles County and Chris Ford from The Energy Coalition.
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Spotlight: Los Angeles County
We are starting 2021 off by celebrating a huge success for Los Angeles County. In November 2020, the County completed several EE upgrades at their Centro Maravilla and San Gabriel Valley Service Centers. These upgrades resulted in over $839,000 in lifetime cost savings!
Since the project’s inception in November 2019, we have thoroughly enjoyed working with the County, which leveraged SoCalREN’s no-cost services through the Project Delivery Program and Metered Savings Program, including comprehensive audits, technical specifications, design review, financial analysis, measurement, and verification.
These projects were pursued in an effort to meet the County’s ambitious goals related to sustainability and their Facility Reinvestment Program, which prioritizes improvements to buildings that provide valuable public services to the community. The projects were funded through Los Angeles County’s Facilities Reinvestment Program budget, which supports retrofits to the facilities in most need of upgrades. Savings generated from these projects will go back into the service centers, which provide the community with a range of health, educational, social, and recreational services.
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Project Details
- Reduction in energy and gas usage: an average of 42%
- Measures upgraded: interior and exterior lighting controls, HVAC zoning and controls, HVAC system replacement, and constant air volume (CAV) to variable air volume (VAV) conversion
- Lifetime cost savings: $839,000+
- Average measure estimated useful life: 13 years (Centro Maravilla) and 11 years (San Gabriel Valley)
- Annual energy savings: 378,000+ kWh
- Annual gas savings: 6,300+ therms
- Energy and gas savings: equivalent to 65 cars taken off the road
- Project timeline: one year from audit through construction completion
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The SoCalREN Multifamily Program started 2021 with a successful Virtual Contractor Kick-Off event. The over 50 attendees were provided lunch with a Door Dash e-gift card and a welcome bag with SoCalREN promotional materials. During this event we covered the following:
- Overview of SoCalREN Multifamily Program for 2021
- Whole Building Program and Comprehensive Common Area Program
- Accepted measures, enrollment processes, and updated collateral overview
- Overview of the Energy Efficiency Learning Center (EELC)
- QA/QC dos and don’ts
- Financing programs available
- 2020 Contractor Award acknowledgment
A copy of the presentation can be viewed here.
With each new year, the Program team brainstorms new strategies to help make the Program become more successful. We have been implementing new account management forecasting concepts, along with strategies and tactics for meeting quarterly and annual energy savings goals. With more specific conversations with Participating Contractors, Program staff, and Lincus, we have been able to work toward Program improvements that can be applied throughout 2021 and even greater improvements for years to follow.
Program improvements include streamlining the pre-construction phase that will lead to quicker turnaround times and reduced Program burdens for contractors. The improvements proposed should increase contractor participation and project volume, ultimately helping the Program more efficiently reach its goals.
We are thankful for the Participating Contractors that are a part of the Program, and the team is looking forward to seeing what 2021 brings and how we can make the Program even better.
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Workforce Education and Training Program |
Did you know that the Workforce Education and Training (WE&T) Program provides training and opportunities for diverse participants in disadvantaged communities to pursue careers and contracts in EE Program initiatives ranging from E-Contractor Training Workshop Series, E-Contractor Training Academy, ACES, and the Green Path Careers Program?
The WE&T Program recently held a virtual E-Contractor Graduation for those that completed the E-Contractor Training Academy. The virtual ceremony can be viewed here. As a graduation gift, all graduates received a vest, conference pad holder and pen, hard hat, and travel tote bag—all with SoCalREN branding. This seven-week program prepares small and diverse contractors to compete for and perform EE projects for the County of Los Angeles and throughout Southern California, including providing access to bonds and capital resources, and information on sustainability and public contracting requirements. The County awards projects using a procurement strategy that promotes local, small contractor participation and an integrated workforce development strategy that stimulates the creation of quality careers. Learn more at socalren.org/wet.
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COVID-19
The health and safety of the communities we serve and the employees helping us implement our programs is of utmost priority. We are committed to ensuring our customers and employees stay safe and healthy. SoCalREN has developed guidelines for the implementation of EE programs through this unprecedented time, so we can continue to fulfill CPUC directives to the Regional Energy Networks. SoCalREN has taken a range of actions to mitigate the impact of COVID-19. For information about impacts to SoCalREN programs related to COVID-19, please visit our updates page.
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Social Media
Welcome to the SoCalREN community! Connect with us on social media. Keep up with program updates, virtual events, and other news happening related to each program sector. Don’t forget to share and repost!
Facebook: Facebook fans, become a true follower and react to the latest updates.
Twitter: Join the conversation. Come chat with us on Twitter and stay informed.
LinkedIn: Stay connected and engage with us on LinkedIn!
Instagram: #YourSoCalREN, invite your friends to join our community for access to program updates, EE tips, and other news related to the program.
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The Southern California Regional Energy Network is administered by the County of Los Angeles and funded by California utility ratepayers under the auspices of the California Public Utilities Commission. |
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