California Commits $2 to Efficiency

In what it describes as the most ambitious energy conservation campaign in U.S. history, the California Public Utilities Commission in September 2005 authorized $2 billion in funding over the next three years for energy efficiency and conservation. The program’s provisions include financing strategies, online energy audits, and consumer rebates for Energy Star^® appliances. The program also provides $230 million each year (a 36% increase) for the Governor’s Green Building Initiative, with the goal of reducing the energy use of government buildings by 20%. “What this plan does is help us meet our growing needs, first and foremost, with the cleanest, most cost-effective energy of all—greater efficiency,” says Susan Kennedy, the commissioner leading the efficiency proceeding. Details are at www.cpuc.ca.gov.