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Commission backs PG&E partnership to enroll businesses in 'Step Up and Power Down'
Summary
The San Francisco Commission on the Environment voted to support Step Up and Power Down, a PG&E partnership aiming to enroll 600 local businesses and save 20 million kWh, with $1 million in PG&E shareholder funding pledged if city targets are met.
The San Francisco Commission on the Environment on July 28 unanimously approved a resolution supporting the city—s participation in Step Up and Power Down, a joint program with Pacific Gas and Electric Company and San Jose that aims to reduce energy waste among small and medium-sized businesses.
The program—s stated goals are to enroll 600 participating businesses in San Francisco and achieve 20,000,000 kilowatt-hours in energy savings through a combination of behavior-change campaigns and equipment upgrades. Reuben Schwartz of PG&E described a mix of tools, including a workplace energy-practices assessment, access to energy-management software at no cost, and referrals to the existing Energy Watch upgrade programs.
"We want to raise awareness of what's happening in companies that might not think about energy," Schwartz said, urging a community-based campaign that pairs technical upgrades with behavioral change. Luke Isdale of the Department of the Environment said the department will focus outreach on small and medium-size businesses and help tailor the program to San Francisco—s multilingual communities.
Commissioners pressed officials on equity and implementation details. Staff said program materials would be translated into several languages and that the department would rely on face-to-face outreach and native-speaker review of translations to reach monolingual business owners. The department confirmed Step Up and Power Down complements, rather than replaces, the city—s Energy Watch programs.
The resolution notes that if San Francisco meets its city-specific targets, PG&E will provide $1,000,000 in shareholder funding (not ratepayer funds) to support greenhouse gas–reduction or climate-related projects; an additional $500,000 would be available across both cities in some circumstances described by program materials. Commissioners clarified that San Francisco would receive the full $1,000,000 if it alone meets its goals.
After public comment and a round of commissioner questions, Commissioner Heather Stevenson moved to approve the resolution. The motion was seconded and passed by voice vote.
Next steps: staff said they will finalize outreach plans, produce translated collateral with native-speaker review, and return as needed to the commission with program updates and any implementation agreements for review.
