CLEARLAKE>>> On Thursday June 5 at the Judge’s Breakfast in Clearlake, guest speaker Jennifer Brennen, Northern Rural Energy Network as a part of the Lake Area Planning Council (LAPC), focused her presentation on the energy efficiency programs available for residents in Lake County.
Brennen began by describing the group as an energy efficiency entity whose goal is to “Determine local energy needs, priorities, and increase awareness, while providing entry points to benefit from rebates and finance programs.” The county’s recent decision to join the Northern Rural Energy Network was based on the group’s experience and their popularity as 17 other counties has partnered with them.
There are several agencies across the state currently offering programs similar to these. It also allowed them access to the northernren.org website where residents can find several energy efficient resources including the free energy efficiency kits that are comprised of eight LED smart light bulbs, a smart energy strip, water aerators, film for windows, and a meter that helps determine the energy costs of each appliance. They are also working on offering free home energy assessments which will enable homeowners to gain the information necessary to retrofit their homes into better energy consumption rates.
Dr. Mark Cooper asked how a homeowner could best prepare for this energy assessment in order to get the most accurate report asking, “Do we need to know how thick our insulation is?” Brennen said, “If you can look at your attic or crawlspace that will provide us with information. If you don’t know, you don’t know.”
Introducing seven flexible local programs, Brennen began by explaining the ones that are currently available, which are the residential education and outreach program, the residential rebate program, and also the finance and loan programs. While the educational aspect is actively being developed in order to bring this information directly to the public.
The rebate program finds state and federal rebates for certain purchases and exists as an incentive to assist homeowners in replacing their appliances or upgrading their homes to be more energy efficient. Brennen expressed that currently there are rebates for water pumps, refrigerators, and a list of others that qualify. Lastly, the finance and loan programs are in their beginning phases and help to provide funds for these improvements in the form of loans (micro loans, bridge loans, and electrification loans) at a zero or very low interest rate. Brennen shared that the group is also developing a commercial and public sector program.
District 2 Supervisor Bruno Sabatier asked about this agency’s ability to provide workforce development training for the installation of these energy saving appliances and perhaps working with North Coast Opportunities in order to make this happen. Brennen mentioned she had just set up conversations with the organization responding, “Things are not completely baked yet except for the residential program. A lot of this stuff is yet to be determined.” Sabatier also brought up the all-time lows the county is experiencing in new construction builds, with less than a dozen in 2024. Brennen then noted, “In California, based on 2023 data, every dollar invested in energy efficiency in 2023 reaped over eight dollars in benefits. So it’s a very conservative and cost-effective way to reduce energy consumption without (infrastructure).”
Brennen concluded noting that the NREN is funded from the Public Purpose Program, established via Assembly Bill 1002 on September 29, 2000, which is derived from rate payers as an addition to services in their monthly bills.
