Effort to help increase energy efficiency of California homes and buildings
CCSE and CalCERTS, Inc. have entered into a partnership agreement to provide training for building science professionals and contractors in the San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego regions.
The training supports programs statewide to help homeowners and building owners understand and identify the most cost-effective and appropriate energy efficiency improvements. Residences and commercial buildings in the state account for about 65 percent of California’s total electrical consumption.
In 2010, Tony and Cindy bought a remodeled 25-year-old home in Spring Valley. They quickly discovered the temperatures in the home were inconsistent and uncomfortable. "Our house was really cold in the winter and it got really hot in the summer," says Cindy. They knew there was very little insulation in the attic, and a home energy assessment conducted last year revealed gaping holes in the ducts.
Beth and Paul's beautiful La Mesa home used to have one major problem. "The living room was unbearable in the summer," says Beth. "It felt like you could cook a chicken in there.” Their floor-to-ceiling, west-facing windows were partly to blame, but there was more to the story.
Is an 87-year-old home destined to be drafty? Shirley of North Park knows the answer is no. After enduring 13 chilly winters, she decided to make her living environment more comfortable.
“Inside this 1920s vintage house it was extremely cold in the winter and I had to wear heavy sweaters most of the time and use extra blankets,” Shirley recalls. "The bathroom was so cold that I would run a space heater in there before taking a shower.”
Looking for ways to lower your energy bills? Understanding the numbers and graphs on your bill can help you determine your home's biggest energy users. This article is specifically written for San Diego Gas & Electric customers, but many of the lessons are useful to any energy utility customer.
Seasonal vs. baseload
The Energy Upgrade California team recognized the UCLA Sustainability Team at the UCLA basketball game at Pauley Pavilion on November 15. The UCLA Sustainability Team, led by Nurit Katz, the chief sustainability officer, has done an outstanding job of implementing sustainability in sports and recreation at UCLA. The game was dedicated to sustainability.
CSE staff are presenting topics that represent our role as leaders in sustainable energy market transformation at the Behavior, Energy and Climate Change (BECC) Conference, Oct. 18-21, 2015, Hyatt Regency Sacramento. Our experts will be sharing:
As the sizzling days of summer persist into the fall, business owners and property managers throughout Southern California continue seeking ways to reduce escalating electricity costs for air-conditioning and refrigeration while utilities struggle to meet the region’s increasing cooling demands.
