Priority: Energy
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
CaliforniaFIRST Property Assessed Energy Financing Program
Oakland property owners will soon have a new way to pay for energy efficiency and solar energy improvements to their homes and businesses. By enrolling in the CaliforniaFIRST program, Oakland property owners will be able to use property-secured financing to cover the installation of energy upgrades such as attic insulation, air sealing and solar electric panels, with repayment tied to their property taxes.
The CaliforniaFIRST program is administered by the California Statewide Communities Development Authority (California Communities). As a statewide Joint Powers Authority, California Communities was authorized to provide this program pursuant to AB811, the State of California’s Clean Energy Municipal Financing Law signed into law last year.
The Oakland City Council voted to join the CaliforniaFIRST program at its December 8, 2009 meeting. The program is scheduled to begin in June 2010.
Property owners will be able to voluntarily enroll in the program, receive up-front payment for authorized energy upgrades, and repay the cost of the improvements over a 10-20 year period on their property taxes. By choosing cost-effective energy upgrades, property owners can often create utility bill savings greater than loan repayment obligations.
When all program facets are complete, the program is intended to have minimal direct cost and no risk to participating cities and counties. The program administrator, Renewable Funding, will work directly with each participating municipality to implement and brand a turnkey program for the local community. The municipality participating in the CaliforniaFIRST Program receives the benefits of a statewide bond pool and centralized program administration. The program team will provide program education, application processing, financing and customer service for property owners who choose to participate.
Check back here for further information about the program that will be made available as the June 2010 program launch date approaches.
East Bay Energy Watch
The City of Oakland is a lead participant in the East Bay Energy Watch, a collaboration between Pacific Gas and Electric Company and local governments, non-profit and for-profit energy service providers in the East Bay dedicated to providing innovative energy efficiency solutions for residents and businesses in communities throughout Alameda, Contra Costa and Solano Counties.
California Youth Energy Services (CYES)
Working in collaboration with sustainability staff in the Mayor’s office and the Workforce Investment Board in CEDA and with funding from the Duke Energy settlement, Rising Sun Energy Center established a California Youth Energy Services (CYES) site in the Fruitvale District in summer 2005 to offer East Oakland residents free energy conservation services and hardware. CYES hires and trains local youth to provide free in-home energy audits, education, and hardware installation to low income homeowners and renters.
Through this program, CYES students conducted personalized energy audits and offered recommendations for obtaining energy savings and installed the following materials in Oakland residences at no cost:
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402 efficient-flow showerheads
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847 faucet aerators
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82 clotheslines
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1,832 compact fluorescent lamps
The program demonstrated outstanding success in their premiere season in Oakland with the following notable results:
- Provided 514 Oakland households with energy saving hardware and information, surpassing their goal of 400 homes.
- Cumulative energy savings of 117,452 annual kilowatt hours (kwh).
- Served over 300 non-English speaking households in Cantonese, Mandarin, and Spanish; over 55% of total clients served.
- Saved Oakland residents approximately $146,530 in energy dollars showing a 3:1 return rate on the City’s initial investment of $45,000.
- Hired and trained thirteen (13) Oakland youth in residential energy efficiency, auditing, and installations, including three job readiness workshops to build and strengthen general employment skills.
For a full summary of the program’s progress, please see the CYES Summary of Results (PDF) .
Based on their success in 2005, and the clients’ overwhelming requests for and support of future services, the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability wrote a Resolution for a Grant of $45K to California Youth Energy Services (PDF) ensuring another summer of energy efficiency job training and implementation in Oakland.
CA-Leadership in Energy Efficiency Program (CA-LEEP)
In August 2004, Oakland was selected as one of six Pilot Projects in California to participate in the California Local Energy Efficiency Program (CA-LEEP). Technical and financial assistance accompanies pilot project status.
CA-LEEP is a program of Navigant Consulting, Inc ’s (NCI) Energy Practice and is funded by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). Through the Program, assistance from NCI will help Oakland develop the energy efficiency component of the City’s overall Sustainability Plan, containing policies, programs and projects that position the City for significant implementation funding from state and federal sources.
Climate Protection
Oakland Energy and Climate Action Plan
The City of Oakland is committed to becoming a model sustainable city. Optimizing our use of energy and minimizing associated energy costs and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are important components of this vision. The City is currently developing an Energy and Climate Action Plan to identify, evaluate and prioritize opportunities to reduce energy consumption and GHG emissions in its own government operations and throughout the Oakland community.
Learn more about the Energy and Climate Action Plan and how you can get involved from this overview of the ECAP development process .
Chicago Climate Exchange
In March 2005, the Council unanimously adopted Chicago Climate Exchange Resolution No. 79135 C.M.S. (PDF) , making the City of Oakland the second city (after Chicago) in the country to join the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX). CCX is the nation’s first voluntary but legally binding system to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, also known as greenhouse gases (GHG), which are responsible for climate disruption. Members agree to reduce their emissions 1% per year from 2003-2006 below their baseline average. If the 1% reduction is not met, the City will have to purchase GHG allowances from others in the Exchange; if the City exceeds this reduction, the additional earned GHG emission allowances can then be sold on the Exchange.
The Public Works Agency Department of Infrastructure and Operations, Electrical Division, Energy Section and the Equipment Services Division, provided data to the CCX about Oakland's municipal greenhouse gas emissions from 1998 to the present. NASD, the CCX's Auditors are reviewing the data Oakland submitted for 1998 to 2001 (the baseline period used to measure future performance) to assess its accuracy. The City is working with CCX and NASD to refine the data to create more accurate results based on lessons learned during the current audit.
For the years 2003 and 2004 the City met its CCX greenhouse gas reduction targets. However, in 2005 its emissions increased, underscoring the need to redouble and expand its energy efficiency upgrades and conservation efforts throughout its facilities.
Climate Protection Law Suit
Friends of the Earth et al. v. Watson et al. (U.S.D.C. N.D. Cal. no. 3:02-cv-04106-JW)
In August 2002, the City of Oakland joined Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace, and Cities of Arcata, Santa Monica, and Boulder (CO), to file a complaint in U.S. District Court (N.D. Cal.), alleging that the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) and Export-Import Bank (ExIm), had failed to comply with their respective obligations under the National Environmental Policy Act, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq. (NEPA), in providing federal funding to energy projects abroad that contribute to global warming. Staff from the Mayor’s office and the City Attorney’s office attended mediation sessions seeking to settle out of court. No out of court settlement was reached. The City’s standing to bring this suit was challenged in 2005, but upheld.
In August 2005, the Court denied the defendants’ motion for summary judgment on standing and other jurisdictional issues. This is the first time that any federal court has recognized standing to pursue claims challenging federal actions that may contribute to global warming.
Oakland filed its merits briefs on December 23, 2005. The case’s merits include whether the Overseas Private Investments Corporation (OPIC) and the Export-Import (ExIm) Bank of the United States violated NEPA by not applying at all. The plaintiffs claim that their projects are directly (power plants) or indirectly (oil fields) responsible for over 7% of world-wide emissions which contributes to domestic environmental and environmental health impacts caused by global warming.
The parties cross-moved for summary judgment on the merits in March 2006. The case is now submitted for decision on the merits.