Energy Watch Partnerships 2006-2008
Partnerships between cities, counties, other agencies, and PG&E—our new Energy Watch partnerships—can lead to significant energy savings for local governments and communities.
Local Government Energy Watch Partnerships
Energy Watch partnerships throughout the PG&E service area help Californians lower their energy bills and enjoy a cleaner environment. Seventeen cities, counties, and agencies have joined forces with PG&E to extend the reach and effectiveness of energy efficiency programs, and to provide information about demand response programs, renewable energy, and self-generation opportunities.
The Benefit of Local Partnerships
Each Energy Watch partnership develops its own outreach plan to increase energy efficiency program participation, based on the unique needs of the local area. Participating governments and associations can receive specialized energy efficiency offerings in their local communities and are responsible for informing their communities about the wide variety of energy efficiency and demand response offerings available from PG&E.
Energy Watch partnerships offer a range of energy efficiency options for commercial, small business, and residential customers, as well as municipal facilities. PG&E works with local contractors, builders, building departments, and others to install energy-efficient equipment to reduce energy use. Locally based energy efficiency seminars may be offered, to minimize travel time and expand the audience for energy efficiency education.
PG&E and its Energy Watch partners also focus on local energy policies that promote energy efficiency practices, codes, and standards. These local activities help customers take advantage of opportunities to retrofit buildings, replace equipment, and receive rebates. PG&E has always offered a large suite of energy efficiency services. With the Partnerships, we can offer additional technical assistance for those cities and counties that are most interested in promoting energy efficiency. This approach facilitates:
- Adoption of new energy practices by cities and counties
- Support for environmentally friendly ("green") buildings
- Local energy efficiency codes and standards
In partnership, we achieve more than either cities, counties, agencies or PG&E can do alone.
By focusing on energy efficiency, communities benefit through reduced energy use and lower energy bills; in addition, their efforts benefit the environment and help PG&E manage energy costs and reliability for everyone.
Services to Save Energy
Services typically offered through Energy Watch partnerships include:
- Direct installation of selected residential energy efficiency measures (such as lighting) for a targeted area
- Direct installation of selected energy efficiency measures for small businesses (such as lighting and light emitting diode (LED) "open" signs) for a targeted area or business type
- Municipal building energy analysis and retrofits
- Design assistance for new municipal buildings
- Locally based energy efficiency seminars
- Local building codes and standards support
- Specialized marketing and outreach to each local community
- Locally based vendor and subcontractor training and education
With a focus on long-term benefits, the Energy Watch partnerships offer the opportunity to build a lasting local energy infrastructure where the framework for development is linked to customers' needs and future energy demands.
Spreading Success Through the Partnership Network
By collaborating with local municipalities, colleges, and universities, PG&E is helping to foster energy best practices. Energy program achievements will be measured, and the lessons learned will be shared among the partnerships so that successful practices can be adopted by other community agencies throughout the State. PG&E's Local Government Energy Action Resources will assist other municipalities that wish to partner with PG&E in the future.
Statewide Partnerships
PG&E, along with Southern California Edison, San Diego Gas & Electric, and Southern California Gas, also has partnerships with three statewide institutions: the University of California and California State Universities, the California Community Colleges, and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
These partnerships operate on a statewide, integrated basis to support:
- Energy efficiency retrofits
- New construction assistance, including design review, development of design guidelines and equipment specification standards, and incentives for installing energy efficiency measures in new construction
- Monitoring-based commissioning of new buildings to ensure that all energy systems operate at optimum levels
- Comprehensive energy education, best practices, and information exchange among the facility energy managers, project managers, facility staffs, and utilities
(PDF, 603 KB)Get Involved
If you live or operate a business in one of the partnership communities, learn more about how the Energy Watch partnership can work for you by calling the Smarter Energy Line at (800) 933-9555 for residential customers or the Business Customer Service Center at (800) 468-4743 for business customers.
If there is no partnership in your community, you still have access to a wide range of energy efficiency solutions directly through PG&E.
Visit our residential rebates page or business rebates page for details about our evolving array of coordinated products and services (including, for example, rebates, incentives, education, training, energy analysis, and demand response programs).
