VEIC, along with Energy Solutions and a team of partners, has been selected to administer the $120 million Technology and Equipment for Clean Heating (TECH) initiative to drive market adoption of low-emissions space and water heating technologies for existing homes across California to help advance the state’s mission to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045. The program was created as part of California Senate Bill 1477 and is funded by revenues collected through California’s Cap-and-Trade program.

Through a combination of market incentives, supply chain engagement, workforce development, consumer education, regional pilots, and a quick-start grant program, TECH will install low-emissions space and water heating technologies in California homes, and will collect and publish energy and GHG impacts plus market data to inform California’s long-term decarbonization plan. It will also include strategies to make low-emissions heating technologies accessible to more Californians, with a strong focus on low-income residents who pay more of their income on energy costs, and on disadvantaged communities disproportionately affected by air pollution. The TECH Initiative will serve as a national model for accelerating the adoption of heat pump technologies for space and water heating. The planning phase launched on June 7, 2021, and programs will be available in the market in Q3 and Q4 2021.

VEIC will play a strategic role on the TECH program, leading innovation, and policy activities. VEIC will oversee six targeted pilots, each aimed at testing approaches to overcoming specific barriers to building decarbonization. The organization will administer a quick-start grant solicitation to fund high-impact projects and program models. VEIC will also lead the TECH initiative’s engagement with regulators, policy makers, and stakeholders to ensure the data gathered through TECH is used to inform and scale actionable, smart statewide building decarbonization policy.

“The TECH initiative is an essential step toward achieving California’s climate goals and transforming the heating and cooling market in the state,” said Emily Levin, Principal Consultant at VEIC. “We are thrilled to contribute our expertise in building decarbonization and pilot program design to this highly qualified and capable team.” 

Background:

The landmark Senate Bill 1477, passed in 2018, enables California to make significant strides in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from California homes which currently account for a quarter of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions.  The bill created two pilot programs to decarbonize residential buildings: Technology and Equipment for Clean Heating (TECH) and Building Initiative for Low Emissions Development (BUILD). 

In October 2020, following a regulatory process to gather public input, a nine-member panel, including the California Public Utilities Commission, selected a team led by Energy Solutions, an Oakland-based clean technologies consulting and implementation company, to administer the TECH Initiative. Over four years, the TECH Initiative aims to transform the space and water heating market by increasing the availability of low-emissions equipment, bringing down costs and reducing greenhouse gas emissions to help improve the health, safety, and well-being of all Californians.

Energy Solutions has assembled an expert team uniquely qualified to implement this first-in-the-nation statewide building decarbonization initiative.  This team of industry leaders brings the experience and capabilities needed to realize the TECH initiative’s ambitious vision to scale strategies across the state to help advance California’s mission to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045.

The team includes:

Ardenna Energy, a clean energy consultancy focused on bringing residential energy efficiency and electrification technologies to market.

Association for Energy Affordability (AEA), a not-for-profit technical services and training organization at the forefront of increasing energy efficiency and green building practices in multifamily buildings.

Building Decarbonization Coalition (BDC), a 150-member strong collection of energy providers, manufacturers, design and construction firms, local governments, and NGOs, committed to eliminating emissions from the built environment.

Electrify My Home, a partnership operated by Larry Waters who has spent over 35 years in the HVAC trade with more than 10 years providing performance-based solutions for home efficiency. EMH has designed and installed hundreds of “rite size” heat pump systems in electrification projects and provides real world contractor education to forward the adoption of skills required to successfully execute “Good Electrification”.

Energy Outlet Inc., providing a utility rebate program administrative service making it faster and simpler for contractors to navigate the rules and requirements of utility programs and enable them to pursue more energy-related opportunities and grow their business.

Energy Solutions, a mission-driven clean technologies implementation firm that, for 25 years, has pioneered end-to-end, market-driven solutions that deliver reliable, large-scale, and cost-effective savings to utility, government, and private sector clients across North America. 

Frontier Energy, a professional services firm delivering energy efficiency, market transformation, and transportation solutions through technical consulting, program design and implementation, and technology development.

National Comfort Institute, an organization devoted to education for Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning professionals, will deliver customized HVAC decarbonization training.

The Ortiz Group, a mission driven program management and training services company that specializes in serving low-income communities.

Recurve, a software company providing integrated program administration, measurement and verification, and data analytics support to utilities and program implementers.

VEIC, a sustainable energy company on a mission to generate the energy solutions the world needs. VEIC designs and implements decarbonization pilots and programs that reduce energy burdens and advance emerging technologies and models.

This team of industry leaders brings the experience and capabilities needed to realize the TECH initiative’s ambitious vision to scale strategies across the state and advance California’s mission to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045.