Electrification Archives - Efficiency First California

Recording Heat Loss at the House With Infrared Thermal Camera

June 1, 2023May 31, 2022

Posted by Charley Cormany, EFCA Executive Director It’s human nature — everyone wants to find that magic “silver bullet” that will solve all their problems. It’s no different in the energy efficiency space, where the industry is constantly looking to find the latest and greatest technology or product that will fix everything. But while we have a lot of innovative solutions, from the simple (smart thermostats) to the complex (hydronic space heating paired with solar thermal collectors), the thing they

June 1, 2023February 24, 2022

Posted by Charley Cormany, EFCA Executive Director If you are a contractor in California, you have likely heard about the new Technology and Equipment for Clean Heating (TECH) incentive program. Funded by proceeds from gas corporations’ greenhouse gas allowances (cap and trade revenues), TECH aims to promote the adoption of near-zero-emissions space and water heating (heat pumps) in existing single and multifamily buildings across the state. Along with its sister program BUILD (which addresses new construction), TECH was rolled out

June 1, 2023December 23, 2021

Electrification continues to get traction nationwide. Many are concerned about the impacts of adding electrical devices, like electric cars, to the grid. Naysayers claim this will only lead to more…

June 1, 2023November 30, 2021

Heating and cooling replacements are often done upon failure. When this happens, the primary concern is to restore service, leading to decisions that have long-term impacts. Here are a couple…

June 1, 2023January 30, 2021

As California marches to an all-electric future, there will be challenges along the way. Market transformations require the coordination of multiple efforts. There are often significant barriers in policy or…

June 1, 2023November 24, 2020

California is blazing a path to all-electric homes. But replacing natural gas as our primary residential energy source will be a challenge. The real problem is shifting the perception of…

June 1, 2023September 27, 2019

Posted by Charley Cormany, EFCA Executive Director There is no doubt the electrification trend is taking hold in California. As reducing greenhouse gases (GHG) becomes the most important goal for energy policy, it makes sense to shift end uses of energy away from the limited resource of fossil fuels to the electric grid. Recently, the increase in renewable generation has quickly made electricity our least impactful energy source, and the grid will continue to get cleaner over time. The transportation

June 1, 2023September 3, 2019

California is going through a policy paradigm shift concerning energy efficiency, the goal of saving energy overall taking a back seat to reducing emissions. With all of these changes, it’s…

June 1, 2023July 31, 2019

Posted by Charley Cormany, EFCA Executive Director Recently, there has been a noticeable shift in California energy efficiency policy. For years the focus has been on the overall reduction in energy use. Today, the goals are much more complicated, with aggressive state mandates specifically targeting greenhouse gas emissions. As a result, when energy savings occur has become a factor, often superseding total consumption. The utilities have responded with time-of-use rates and incentives. In California, the transportation sector is by far

June 1, 2023June 27, 2019

Posted by Gabe Lieb, EFCA Director of Strategy Our executive director Charley Cormany works with the Building Decarbonization Coalition and National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) to bring a contractor’s perspective to residential decarbonization and electrification policy in California. Efficiency First California (EFCA) manages the SMUD Home Performance Program, which last year started incentivizing electrification with hefty rebates. I subscribe to MCE’s 100% renewable energy Deep Green rates. You could say that I’m an electrification champion. So why did I just

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