SoCalREN Quarterly Update
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Welcome!
SoCalREN administers a variety of clean energy programs and initiatives to help communities and their members save energy, money, and become more sustainable. Each quarter, we share key highlights of the latest sector updates, news, offerings, and information. We appreciate your interest in these important issues, and encourage you to follow our social accounts - linked at the bottom of this newsletter, for additional, real-time information.
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Celebrating the season - and a year of accomplishments
SoCalREN brings together a wide variety of services with one common goal: achieving unprecedented levels of energy savings throughout our vast coverage area. Underpinning these services are a broad swath of dedicated professionals, gracious partners, and community participants. Together, this collective team has driven meaningful change this year in a variety of ways.
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Workforce Education and Training
| The SoCalREN Workforce, Education & Training Program provides training, tools, and opportunities for minority participants in disadvantaged communities to pursue careers in energy and water efficiency. | | | |
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Green Path Careers is a program designed to help individuals who are opportunity youth, ages 18 and up, by preparing them for a career in the energy efficiency field. This program is offered at no cost to participating youth.
In 2023, we had a record breaking 45 participants enrolled, and 15 of them employed! We are projected to have even more participants, 60, in 2024. And new for 2024 is an HVAC training for re-entry participants.
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The E-Contractor Academy is an offering from SoCalREN and Emerald Cities Collaborative, which recruits contractors for enrollment in specialized courses where they gain access to bond assistance and capital resources, information on sustainability and public contracting requirements, and tips for bidding on energy efficiency projects.
This year, we trained over 200 contractors!
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In 2023, ACES expanded to Kern County and began a partnership with Cerro Coso Community College and Tehachapi High School. ACES courses are scheduled to begin at Tehachapi in 2024!
Additionally, we initiated a productive partnership with the renowned, statewide Math Engineering Science Achievement (MESA) program. Through this collaboration we have established ACES at the Maywood Center for Enriched Studies (MaCES). MaCES will begin ACES dual-enrollment courses at East Los Angeles College in Spring 2024. We look forward to continuing to work with MESA to expand our complementary programs in 2024.
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On March 15th, SoCalREN, in collaboration with the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), hosted the inaugural Future Green Leaders Youth Summit at the Los Angeles Convention Center for 1,800 6th - 8th graders, across 15 disadvantaged/low income Los Angeles schools.
We have now established a collaborative relationship with LAUSD and look forward to building upon that with next year's Summit!
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Turning energy upgrades into cash with the streamlined savings pathway...
We are honored to have worked with the City of Walnut and had the joy of presenting their representatives with over $26,000 in cash incentives for the upgrades they made at their Teen Center, their Senior Center, and City Hall!
What's more? The City will continue to save almost $4,000 annually on their electricity bills because of their recent LED lighting upgrades.
So what does being a part of the SoCalREN network mean to other enrolled agencies? Read this and more in the full recap on the SoCalREN blog!
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SoCalREN Multifamily Program
SoCalREN’s Multifamily Program has been busy throughout 2023, helping their property maintenance and upgrades efforts go further. Here are just some of the highlights from successful energy efficiency upgrade projects this year:
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Within these counties, a full 82% of projects were in disadvantaged areas. | |
Electrification aligning with California's decarbonization goals, gained traction in 2023 and the Multifamily program completed 11 electrification projects, installing 977 heat pump systems and servicing a total of 1,384 residents! | |
In partnership with SoCal EVen Access, through its Multifamily EV Connect Program, the potential for vehicle charger installations at multifamily properties was identified, removing a key barrier for the region's many renters. In 2023, the EV Connect Program completed 60 charger installations! | |
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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.
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.
TikTok: Join our community on TikTok and become part of the conversation.
#YourSoCalREN
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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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