Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Electrification topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Decatur leaders and contractors lay out Electrify Decatur campaign and October launch
Summary
City staff and Let's Go Electric outlined Electrify Decatur, an 18–24 month community electrification campaign funded partly by a DOE EECBG grant; program features include a web marketplace, free navigator consultations, contractor vetting, quarterly group purchases and a public launch Oct. 26.
David Ifong, the city’s energy programs coordinator, opened the presentation by saying the Electrify Decatur campaign is supported by a competitive Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant from the U.S. Department of Energy and that the city has drawn down a portion of those funds to begin work.
Don Moreland, founder and CEO of Let's Go Electric, described a new online marketplace, a free home energy navigator service that uses the Rocky Mountain Institute’s Green Upgrade Calculator, contractor vetting, and a planned series of community group‑purchase events. "Heat pumps are kinda magical," Moreland said, explaining that modern heat pumps can produce three to four units of heat for each unit of electricity and perform in cold weather when properly selected and installed.
The presenters outlined how the program will stack incentives so homeowners can assess net cost: utility rebates (Georgia Power), the city’s Community Energy Fund grant (up to $500 per item), state income‑qualified rebates, and federal tax credits. The city will also explore permit‑fee waivers and financing partners to reduce upfront barriers. Program staff said they have issued an RFI and have about a dozen contractors onboarding to the platform.
Asked about equipment reliability and contractor capacity, staff pointed to lessons learned in Asheville and Buncombe County, N.C., where Let's Go Electric previously implemented an electrification program. Don Moreland said the campaign will prioritize contractor vetting "to make sure the equipment and systems we’re offering through this program will be able to participate in some utility programs that might be anticipated later."
The city and campaign partners plan a free public launch event on Oct. 26 from 2–6 p.m. at the conference center, and staff emphasized that navigator consultations will produce individualized, apples‑to‑apples comparisons of life‑cycle energy savings and incentives.
Next steps include final contractor onboarding, stakeholder meetings with partners such as Southface and Gipple, and outreach to groups such as land trusts and faith‑based networks to reach older housing and income‑qualified households.
