Climate Protection Campaign Aids Sonoma Municipalities with Energy Efficiency

Sonoma’s quest to become more energy efficient just got a boost. The county will be one of six California communities participating in a new, year long initiative. Scope of Project

Navigant Consulting, Inc., (NCI) head of the initiative, chose Sonoma County for the pilot program largely because of the successful climate protection collaboration among the county’s ten municipalities. NCI and the Climate Protection Campaign formed a partnership to implement the energy efficiency program locally.

The unique initiative, called CALEEP (California Local Energy Efficiency Program), will engage a broad spectrum of stakeholders to create best practices for implementing community energy efficiency programs.

Energy efficiency means using less energy to accomplish the same result. For example, a compact fluorescent light bulb uses less electricity while giving off the same amount of light as an incandescent bulb. Energy efficiency saves money and reduces the demand on California’s strained electrical supply.

Energy efficiency also is key to climate protection. Greenhouse gas is emitted whenever electricity is generated from natural gas and other fossil fuels. Scientists confirm that manmade greenhouse gas is disrupting the climate by increasing the heat-trapping blanket surrounding the Earth.

Local elected representatives welcome the new initiative. “We are very pleased to be offered support for our energy efficiency and climate protection endeavors,” stated Santa Rosa City Council member Bob Blanchard. “We are always looking for new ways to protect our environment while reducing energy. This opportunity to be part of a statewide initiative can accelerate our learning curve and augment our work.”

The County’s and cities’ formal commitment to climate protection represents an effective and highly transportable channel for project implementation,” said NCI Program Manager Tom Crooks. “Although local governments have done a lot to reduce their energy consumption, significant opportunities still remain. We aim to help them optimize expertise, technology, and financing. With the assistance of the Climate Protection Campaign, we know we have partners up to the challenge,” added Crooks.

California ratepayers, under the auspices of the California Public Utilities Commission, fund CALEEP.
More information is available at www.caleep.com and by contacting Ann Hancock, Climate Protection Campaign Coordinator, at (707) 829-1224.

Scope of work for California Energy Efficiency Project (CALEEP)

Phase 1 · August 9, 2004–September 9, 2004 · back to top
Energy Analysis
Create comprehensive lists of municipalities’ electricity and natural gas accounts, categorized by usage type and ranked by cost and amount of energy. Use data and analyses that are already available when possible.

Phase 2 · September 9, 2004–October 9, 2004
Measures Assessment
Create comprehensive lists of measures municipalities have taken since 2000 to reduce their electricity and natural gas use. Where practical, quantify the impact these measures have had on reducing costs and energy use. Survey staff to determine their assessment of the success of such measures, and their assessment of the opportunities for future energy efficiency opportunities.

Phase 3 · October 9, 2004–November 9, 2004
Priority of Opportunities
Identify energy efficiency opportunities by comparing Phase One analyses and Phase Two measures. Develop and apply objective criteria to opportunities being considered, for example, cost per kilowatt hour saved and return on investment, to prioritize the list of opportunities.

Phase 4 · November 9, 2004–December 9, 2004
Stakeholder Input
Report preliminary findings from Phase Three to stakeholders from the municipalities, and gather their input. Create an Advisory Committee of stakeholder representatives to guide implementation of the remaining phases.

Phase 5 · December 9, 2004–February 9, 2005
Plan
Create a plan for implementing high-impact energy efficiency measures based on Phases One through Four.

Phase 6 · February 9, 2005–July 9, 2005
Implementation
Assist municipalities to begin implementing selected actions from the plan.

Phase 7 · July 9, 2005–August 9, 2005
Final Report
Write a report that describes the results of Phases One through Six, including recommendations.
The overall project goal is to develop a comprehensive educational program that demonstrates how to help local governments more effectively learn about, choose among, overcome barriers to, and implement energy efficient programs and policies. The project focus is electricity and natural gas use of the internal operations of Sonoma County’s ten municipalities.

For more information:

Ann Hancock, Coordinator
Climate Protection Campaign
(707) 829-1224

Tom Crooks, Principal
Navigant Consulting, Inc.
(916) 631-3268
www.caleep.com