Department of the Environment outlines how CCA could expand San Francisco energy‑efficiency programs

The San Francisco Department of the Environment on March 27 told the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) that the city’s 15-year portfolio of energy‑efficiency programs could be broadened under the Clean Power SF community choice aggregation (CCA) program, but that regulatory hurdles and financing tools will shape what is feasible at launch.

“San Francisco has set some very aggressive climate goals,” Department Director Debbie Raffel said. “One of our goals is a 100% renewable electricity. In order to meet that…we must maximize our ability to use electricity wisely, which means energy efficiency.”

Kathleen Bridal, a department program lead, described two core locally run offerings: SF EnergyWatch, a lighting-centered program in operation since February 2006, and a Bay Area Regional Energy Network (BayREN) multifamily program that began in 2013. Bridal said the department now contributes roughly 40% of San Francisco’s local energy‑efficiency portfolio and that the city has completed about 15,000 projects over 15 years, paying $40,000,000 in incentives that the department estimates reduced CO2 emissions by about 92,000 tons — “the equivalent of removing 15,000 vehicles from the road.”

The department framed CCA as a way to…