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General Information
A local jurisdiction can adopt energy standards that exceed the current Building Energy Efficiency Standards (Energy Code). Examples of adopted policies and guidance for local jurisdictions are available.
California’s Cities Lead the Way on Pollution-Free Homes and Buildings
A Sierra Club list of the California cities and counties that have adopted reach codes. Ordinance language, an interactive map, and summaries are included.
BayREN Codes & Standards Program Reach Codes
The BayREN Codes & Standards Program is a joint effort of the Bay Area cities and counties to increase compliance with the California Energy Code and local ordinance development.
Best Practices for Streamlining Electrification Permitting - PDF
A guide created by Silicon Valley Clean Energy that provides recommendations to streamline the permitting and inspection process and provides suggestions to support and prepare local jurisdictions for the transition. Silicon Valley Clean Energy works in partnership with PG&E to provide energy to 13 communities in Santa Clara County.
Best Practices for Electric Vehicle (EV) Charger Deployment
The Connect the Watts initiative draws upon insights from automakers, contractors, equipment suppliers, utilities, and others to identify best practices in charger deployment. These best practices are summarized in guides tailored to each stage of the charger deployment process, including energization, permitting, make-ready programs, and public funding program design.
California Statewide Codes & Standards Program
The California Statewide Codes & Standards Program provides cost-effectiveness studies to assist local jurisdictions in considering ordinances that reach beyond the mandatory requirements of the Energy Code.
EV Charging Station Permit Streamlining Map
California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development plug-in EV charging station readiness map. The resources assist communities in understanding the permitting process for charging stations throughout the state. The website includes model ordinances, a permit streamlining guidebook, fact sheets, and more.
Local Government Challenge
Find summaries of sample California Energy Commission (CEC) funded local government projects that improved energy performance and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
Local Government Leaders Coalition
A coalition of local government leaders, created by Rewiring America, to provide policies, tools, and opportunities to connect with government and business partners on electrification.
3C-REN Reach Code Support
Tri-County Regional Energy Network (3C-REN) supports San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura Counties to deliver energy-saving programs and industry trainings that help reduce energy use, strengthen local job markets, and support efforts to achieve climate goals.
As consumers move toward decarbonizing their buildings, training and education will help ensure everyone is up to date.
Residential Solar Permit Reporting
The CEC’s reporting hub for California cities and counties provides data annually about online, automated solar permitting.
Energy Standards (Title 24) Hotline
For assistance with understanding or locating information in the Title 24 California Energy Code, contact the Energy Standards Hotline at (800) 772-3300 or email title24@energy.ca.gov.
BayREN Events and Training
Created by the Bay Area Regional Energy Network (BayREN), a coalition of the Bay Area’s nine counties, the local government resources aim to reduce energy and water use for a more cost-effective, sustainable, and resilient future. BayREN offers events, workshops, and trainings for jurisdictions, building departments, contractors, and others.
California Department of Housing and Community Development CALGreen
Learn about California’s first green building code (CALGreen) and first in the nation state-mandated green building code. CALGreen aims to improve public health, safety, and general welfare through enhanced design and construction of buildings.
CEC Energy Code Outreach and Education
The Online Resource Center provides educational assistance about the Energy Code to building and enforcement communities. After reviewing the information if you still have a question, call the Building Standards Hotline at (800)772-3300 or email title24@energy.ca.gov.
Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA)
The CESA is a coalition of state energy agencies to advance the rapid expansion of clean energy technologies. The resource library is the hub for reports, guides, case studies, videos, and more. The webinars and events tab has a list of upcoming and recent webinars, which are free to attend with registration.
Energy Code Ace
Energy Code Ace is a one-stop shop for no-cost tools, training, and resources to help the building industry comply with California’s Building Energy Efficiency Standards (Energy Code). The program is administered by utilities and funded by their customers. All information is vetted by the CEC.
Local Government Resources to Reduce Energy and Water Use
Created by the Bay Area Regional Energy Network (BayREN), a coalition of the Bay Area’s nine counties, the local government resources aim to reduce energy and water use for a more cost-effective, sustainable, and resilient future. Resources include tools and information about code compliance, energy policies and reach codes, zero-net-energy and zero-net-carbon assistance, water efficiency, and more.
PG&E Energy Center
Provides professional training, a tool-lending library, on-demand courses, and real-time access to industry experts at no cost.
Reach Codes
The California Statewide Codes and Standards Program provides cost-effectiveness studies to assist local jurisdictions considering ordinances that reach beyond the mandatory requirements of the Energy Code.
The Building Decarbonization Practice Guide
The guide is a tool to advance carbon reduction and resilience strategies and increase practitioner carbon and emissions understanding. The guide, a project of the William J. Worthen Foundation, is an up-to-date reference tool that architects, engineers, contractors, developers, funders, and policy makers can apply now.
GoBIZ EV Charging Guidebook - PDF
This California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) EV Charging Guidebook consists of eight parts. It goes into greatest depth in four key areas: planning, permitting, accessibility, and grid connection. These recommendations are tied together with a zero-emissions vehicle readiness scorecard and checklists at the end of the document.
Best Practices for EV Charger Deployment
The Connect the Watts initiative draws upon insights from automakers, contractors, equipment suppliers, utilities, and others to identify best practices in charger deployment. These best practices are summarized in guides tailored to each stage of the charger deployment process, including energization, permitting, make-ready programs, and public funding program design.
Contact your electric utility to find out whether financing may exist to fund energy efficiency and sustainability programs. Utilities typically have staff devoted to local government cooperation. Additionally, community organizations can serve as advocates and technical partners and help leverage funding for the program or aspects of it. Engage with stakeholders to learn about local opportunities and explore the financing and partnerships available through these organizations:
California Association of Councils of Governments (CALCOG)
Councils of governments represent member local governments, mainly cities and counties, that seek to provide cooperative planning and coordination and may provide support to develop programs.
California Map for Local Air District Websites
Air Pollution Control Districts (APCD) and Air Quality Management Districts (AQMD) are responsible for controlling air pollution from stationary sources and may offer grants and other programs to fund energy efficiency programs. This link to the California Air Resources Board (CARB) provides a list of air districts.
California Community Choice Aggregators
View a complete list and map of service areas for California’s Community Choice Aggregators. Contact your Community Choice Aggregator to learn more about the benefits in your area.
Climate Mayors
Climate Mayors is a nonprofit bipartisan network dedicated to mobilizing mayors and demonstrating climate leadership through meaningful actions in their communities.
CivicWell
CivicWell is a nonprofit supporting sustainable policies and the leaders and communities that implement them. CivicWell engages local elected officials, government agencies, and community-based organizations through policy guidance, collaborative partnerships and coalitions, and direct assistance.
Utilities
California’s investor-owned and the largest publicly owned utilities are listed below.
- LADWP
- Pacific Power
- PG&E
- Riverside Public Utility
- Southern California Edison (SCE)
- SDG&E
- SMUD
- SoCalGas
- Southwest Gas
REGIONAL ENERGY NETWORKS (RENS)
RENs act as regional energy managers for local government clusters, developing innovative methods to serve customers who historically have not participated in energy efficiency programs.
- Bay Area Regional Energy Network (BayREN)
Serving Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma Counties.
- Inland Regional Energy Network (I-REN)
Serving San Bernardino and Riverside Counties.
- Rural REN
Serving San Bernardino, Imperial, Riverside, Orange, Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Kern, San Luis Obispo, Tulare, and Kings Counties.
- Southern California Regional Energy Network
Serving Mono and Inyo Counties.
- Tri-County Regional Energy Network
Serving San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura Counties.
COMMUNITY CHOICE AGGREGATORS (CCA)
Cities, counties, and other qualify government entities can buy or generate electricity for residents and businesses.
- California Choice Energy Authority
Serving Apple Valley, Palmdale, Lancaster, Pico Rivera, Pomona, Rancho Mirage, San Jacinto, and Santa Barbara.
- Central Coast Community Energy
Serving Monterey, San Benito, Santa Cruz Counties, Morro Bay, San Luis Obispo, Arroyo Grande, Del Rey Oaks, Grover Beach, Guadalupe, Paso Robles, Pismo Beach, Santa Maria, Solvang, Carpinteria, Goleta, and Buellton.
- Clean Energy Alliance
Serving Carlsbad, Del Mar, Escondido, Oceanside, San Marcos, Solana Beach, and Vista.
- Clean Power Alliance
Serving Agoura Hills, Alhambra, Arcadia, Beverly Hills, Calabasas, Camarillo, Carson, Claremont, Culver City, Downey, Hawaiian Gardens, Hawthorne, unincorporated Los Angeles County, Malibu, Manhattan Beach, Moorpark, Ojai, Oxnard, Paramount, Redondo Beach, Rolling Hills Estates, Santa Monica, Sierra Madre, Simi Valley, South Pasadena, Temple City, Thousand Oaks, Ventura, unincorporated Ventura County, West Hollywood, Westlake Village and Whittier.
- CleanPowerSF
Serving San Francisco.
- Desert Community Energy
Serving Palm Springs.
- East Bay Community Energy
Serving Alameda County.
- MCE Community Choice Energy
Serving Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, and Solano Counties.
- Orange County Power Authority
Serving Buena Park, Fullerton, Huntington Beach, Irving, and unincorporated areas of Orange County.
- Peninsula Clean Energy
Serving San Mateo County and the City of Los Banos.
- Pioneer Community Energy
Serving Auburn, Colfax, Lincoln, Placerville, Rocklin, the town of Loomis, and most of unincorporated El Dorado and Placer Counties.
- Redwood Coast Energy Authority
Serving the Yurok Tribe, the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District, Humboldt County, and the Cities of Arcata, Blue Lake, Eureka, Ferndale, Fortuna, Rio Dell, and Trinidad.
- San Diego Community Power
Serving Chula Vista, Encinitas, La Mesa, Imperial Beach, National City, and San Diego.
- San Jose Clean Energy
Serving San Jose.
- Sonoma Clean Power
Serving Sonoma and Mendocino Counties.
- Valley Clean Energy
Serving Woodland, Davis, Winters, and unincorporated Yolo County.
NOTE: This list is not inclusive of all California load-serving entities. For a complete list of load-serving entities in California, visit Electric Load-Serving Entities (LSEs) in California.
Energy use calculators and data enable a building owner to estimate energy use based on the characteristics and location of a building and your mix of specific products.
Cool California
Cool California is a California Air Resources Board web page that provides tools for homes, local governments, schools, and small businesses to save money and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Tools include a carbon footprint calculator, map to recognize local government climate action planning efforts, a funding wizard, and a best practices for K-12 schools.
Renewable Energy Integration and Optimization Platform (REopt®)
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) created this tool to identify and prioritize cost-effective renewable energy projects across a portfolio of sites. It also can be used to optimize the size and operating strategy of microgrids, storage, and energy and water systems.
Watt Diet Calculator
Created by Redwood Energy, the Watt Diet Calculator uses the characteristics and location of a building to estimate the size of the electrical panel needed for the home. It can help homeowners and contractors determine if a panel must be upsized to electrify the home.
Xerohome - Home Upgrade Calculator
This calculator helps homeowners and utilities in select cities transition to a low carbon future by providing energy use information tailored to each home. Xerohome provides information on likely energy and bill savings, to help users prioritize which upgrades will benefit them most.
Reporting building characteristics and energy use data, known as benchmarking, is required for certain types of commercial and multifamily buildings. Energy performance information can be viewed, searched, downloaded, and compared by city, property type, address, year, or building square footage. Cities can set up their own programs and apply to be exempted from the state reporting requirement.
Building Energy Benchmarking Program
The Building Energy Benchmarking Program requires owners of large commercial and multifamily buildings to report energy use to the CEC by June 1, annually.
Incentive Programs
Funding for local jurisdictions is available from the federal government and state. Find assistance for energy planning and energy-efficiency, energy generation, and water efficiency projects.
Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities
This program funds affordable housing and transportation projects near jobs, schools, and other daily destinations. Local governments, transportation and transit agencies, nonprofit and for-profit housing developers, joint powers authorities, K-12 school, college, and university districts, federally recognized Tribes, and California Native American Tribes are all eligible to apply.
California Schools Healthy Air, Plumbing, and Efficiency Program
The California Schools Healthy Air, Plumbing, and Efficiency Program (CalSHAPE) provides funding to upgrade heating, air-conditioning, and ventilation (HVAC) systems in public schools and replaces noncompliant plumbing fixtures and appliances that fail to meet water efficiency standards.
Empower Innovation
The CEC’s professional networking platform to help local governments and businesses identify funding and partnering opportunities to advance a clean energy future. Empower Innovation is a place to learn about solutions that can meet your needs if your community is interested in piloting new technology, reducing energy costs, or improving air and water quality.
Energy Conservation Assistance Act
The CEC’s Energy Conservation Assistance Act (ECAA) program offers zero-interest-rate loans to public schools and 1-percent-rate loans to public entities and California Native American Tribes. Loans finance energy efficiency and energy generation projects, energy storage systems, and EV charging infrastructure.
Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program
The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program is designed to assist states, local governments, and tribes in implementing strategies to reduce energy use, reduce fossil fuel emissions, and improve energy efficiency.
Inflation Reduction Act and other recent federal laws - PDF
The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) policy brief describes the home energy upgrade incentives within the Inflation Reduction Act and other recent federal laws. The brief provides an overview of the federal programs, funding, distribution of funds, eligibility, and incentive amounts.
Energy Star® Income Tax Credits and Incentives for Energy Efficiency
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 provides federal tax credits and deductions that empower Americans to make homes and buildings more energy-efficient. These tax credits and deductions help reduce energy costs while reducing demand as California transitions to cleaner energy sources. Information on the site includes savings for homeowners, builders, and commercial building owners.
Transformative Climate Communities Resources
Funds community-led development and infrastructure projects that achieve major environmental, health, and economic benefits in California’s most disadvantaged communities. Community-based organizations, local governments, nonprofit organizations, philanthropic organizations and foundations, faith-based organization, coalitions or associations of nonprofits, community development finance institutions, community development corporations, joint powers authorities, and California Native American Tribes are all eligible to apply.
Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities
Funds affordable housing and transportation projects near jobs, schools, and other daily destinations. Local governments, transportation and transit agencies, nonprofit and for-profit housing developers, joint powers authorities, K-12 school, college, and university districts, federally recognized Tribes, and California Native American Tribes are all eligible to apply.
California Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Project (CALeVIP)
CALeVIP provides funding for installing publicly available EV charging stations to support the rapid adoption of EVs across California.
California Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Project (CALeVIP) Find a Rebate
Apply for high-speed direct current (DC) fast charger rebates using the new application process. CALeVIP provides funding for installing publicly available EV charging stations to support the adoption of EVs.
Communities in Charge
Funding available for projects designed to transform EV charging accessibility and accelerate the market. Financing for project sites such as schools, health care centers, local businesses, and communities. Funded by the CEC's Clean Transportation Program, implemented by CALSTART, and supported in partnership with GRID Alternatives and Tetra Tech.
Energy Infrastructure Incentives for Zero-Emission Commercial Vehicles (EnergIIZE Commercial Vehicles)
A CEC grant to design and implement various medium- and heavy- duty zero-emission vehicle refueling infrastructure incentive projects throughout California.
Transformative Climate Communities Resources
Funds community-led development and infrastructure projects that achieve major environmental, health, and economic benefits in California’s most disadvantaged communities. Community-based organizations, local governments, nonprofit organizations, philanthropic organizations and foundations, faith-based organization, coalitions or associations of nonprofits, community development finance institutions, community development corporations, joint powers authorities and California Native American Tribes are all eligible to apply.