Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) announced that, for customers who lost homes in the Thomas Fire or January 9th debris flow, the company will substantially increase financial incentives for those who wish to rebuild using sustainable designs and ultra-efficient appliances. The incentives will be offered through the California Advanced Homes Program (CAHP), which helps offset the costs of creating environmentally-friendly energy-efficient homes and communities.
“SoCalGas understands that those who need to rebuild their homes are faced with many challenges, and we hope this additional incentive encourages those who want to build to the highest energy-saving standards can do so more a bit more affordably,” said Lisa Alexander, SoCalGas vice president of customer solutions and communications. “The improved energy savings will allow customers to also save money through reduced energy bills.” If you are not someone who has lost their home in the fire but are concerned about the amount of energy you are consuming at home, you could look into a site like Simply Switch, who can help you find the cheapest energy plans and the latest deals around to save money on your energy bills.
For Thomas Fire and January 9th debris flow victims, SoCalGas will increase CAHP incentive dollars by 50 percent and will work with planning officials from Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties as well as the Ventura County Regional Energy Alliance (VCREA) to identify those who are eligible. By rebuilding with more efficient appliances, homeowners stand to save on monthly energy costs. The more efficient appliances will also help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Speaking of saving, it is not only homes that can switch to become energy efficient. Businesses can make positive changes like these too. It could be as simple as checking out sites like Utility Bidder, in the hopes of making this change to your business. By doing this, you may find that managing this side of your business has never been easier.
“Ventura County is working diligently to assist residents who lost their homes in the Thomas Fire, and we would welcome and support these efforts to make their new homes more sustainable and energy-efficient,” said Chris Stephens, director of the Ventura County Resource Management Agency.
To further reduce greenhouse gas emissions, SoCalGas is working to increase the amount of renewable natural gas – sourced from agriculture and waste – it delivers to customers. A recently-released analysis found that California could achieve the same greenhouse gas reductions as electrifying homes and buildings—but at a much lower cost—by replacing just a fraction of the natural gas that is delivered through our pipelines with this renewable natural gas.
Customers who want to rebuild using CAHP incentives work with their building contractor and a HERS (Home Energy Rating System) Rater to have their home features tested and rated using certain California Energy Commission standards. More information is available at socalgas.com.
