The Board of Directors for California community choice aggregator Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE) has adopted a building decarbonization joint action plan, which defines a set of prioritized actions for the agency and its members to reduce carbon pollution from buildings.
The plan includes a $6 million budget to be dispersed over three years through a set of building electrification programs and initiatives.
SVCE is a not-for-profit, community-owned agency providing electricity from renewable and carbon-free sources to more than 270,000 residential and commercial customers in 13 Santa Clara County, Calif., jurisdictions.
Buildings account for nearly one-third of regional greenhouse gas emissions in the SVCE service territory and the building decarbonization joint action plan puts funding and organizational support in place to properly assist communities in the transition to clean, all-electric buildings, SVCE said in a Jan. 21 news release.
The plan was created through a joint process designed to facilitate the emergence of new solutions, cultivate community buy-in, and coordinate peer-to-peer learning, it noted.
The plan centers on three focus areas: (1) New buildings (supporting the transition to all-electric new construction); (2) Existing buildings (converting existing buildings that use natural gas to all-electric; and (3) Market development (creating a regional network to address the barriers Santa Clara County may face while working towards clean, all-electric buildings).
The plan establishes a set of six prioritized actions that include policy and implementation support for member communities as well as direct financial support for customers.
One prioritized action is to develop an accessible financing program designed to enable low-income customers to make improvements to their homes and businesses. To view all six prioritized actions, please see the full plan.
SVCE said that the plan was informed by a 2020 Buildings Baseline Study and a Decarbonization Strategy & Programs Roadmap.
The American Public Power Association has initiated a new category of membership for community choice aggregation programs.
