Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) will provide technical support
and up to $20,000 in funding for each of five cities within its service
territory named as semifinalists in the Georgetown
University Energy Prize, a nationwide energy efficiency competition
for small-to-midsized communities.
The five Northern California Communities – Berkeley, Davis, Fremont, San
Mateo, Sunnyvale –were among the 50 cities nationwide selected as
semifinalists for the two-year competition, which begins today. Palo
Alto, which is served by a municipal utility, was also selected as a
semifinalist.
PG&E funding will support residential energy efficiency efforts of each
city’s choosing, including community outreach and low-income
weatherization programs. The company will also supply community energy
usage data for Georgetown University and the cities to track their
progress throughout the competition.
“We are proud to have been an integral part of California’s leadership
in energy efficiency for several decades,” said PG&E President Chris
Johns. “We look forward to continuing to support local governments in
the communities we serve as they work toward a cleaner energy future.”
PG&E participated in the program launch at Georgetown University and an
event at the White House, and assisted with the development of the
cities’ energy efficiency plans, a key component of the initial
application.
The winner will be selected in 2017 on the basis of its efforts to
develop innovative, replicable new approaches to community-wide energy
efficiency and receive $5 million in funding to continue their efforts.
“Georgetown University appreciates PG&E’s support and commends its
leadership on the important issue of energy efficiency,” said Dr.
Francis Slakey, founder and executive director of the Georgetown
University Energy Prize. “We look forward to working with mayors and
executives across the county to accelerate their energy efficiency
efforts.”
PG&E has been a long-time pioneer
in energy efficiency. Over
the last three decades, PG&E’s programs have avoided the release of
more than 200 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2)
emissions, based on cumulative lifecycle gross energy savings. In 2013,
PG&E helped customers save more than $155 million on their energy bills
through energy efficiency programs. A 2014
report by Ceres and Clean Edge ranked PG&E the number one large
utility in the country for energy efficiency savings.
PG&E also has 27 local, regional and statewide government partnerships
that implement energy efficiency and climate planning programs. The
programs are tailored to individual communities, in coordination with
the Statewide Energy Efficiency Collaborative, and have served hundreds
of cities, counties, small businesses and non-profit organizations, as
well as thousands of low-income residential customers.
Following is a sampling of the enthusiasm from communities in PG&E’s
service territory that qualified:
“Berkeley is ready for a bit of friendly competition. We have a legacy
of leading the nation in innovation in energy efficiency and are ready
to make good on our Climate Action Plan commitments and bring home the
prize,” said Neal De Snoo, Energy Program Officer for the City of
Berkeley.
“Davis is in an excellent position to win this challenge. We have made
some great steps in recent years, but here is our chance to go the extra
mile. Most importantly, winning is not just a chance to boost our pride
in our local community, it is also an opportunity to demonstrate the
kind of sustainable energy-efficient living we need in our planet. We
appreciate the support of PG&E,” said Davis Mayor Dan Wolk.
“We’ve always considered sustainability to be one of Fremont’s sweet
spots – which is why we are both honored and thrilled to receive
recognition and advance to the semifinal round of the Georgetown
University Energy Prize competition,” said City of Fremont Mayor Bill
Harrison. “While we are competing with some of our Bay Area neighbors,
we want to embrace this opportunity for collaboration and unify our
efforts to make the entire Bay Area more sustainable as a whole, and
promote energy efficiency for all.”
“We are thrilled to be a semifinalist for the Georgetown University
Energy Prize and see it as a great opportunity for our community to
demonstrate our leadership and innovation in the realm of municipal and
residential energy efficiency,” said Rafael Reyes, the appointed Chair
of San Mateo’s newly created Sustainability Commission.
“Sunnyvale’s success as a sustainable community is built on strategies
like promoting energy efficiency,” said Sunnyvale Mayor Jim Griffith.
“This contest is a great way to spark new momentum toward our common
goal of reducing greenhouse gases and I’m confident Sunnyvale residents
are up to the challenge.”
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E
Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas
and electric utilities in the United States. Based in San Francisco,
with more than 20,000 employees, the company delivers some of the
nation’s cleanest energy to nearly 16 million people in Northern and
Central California. For more information, visit www.pge.com/
and www.pge.com/en/about/newsroom/index.page.
Copyright Business Wire 2015