California Center for Sustainable Energy

Welcome to Energy Upgrade Update

Energy Upgrade Update is the place for contractors to learn about Energy Upgrade California^TM in San Diego. We invite you to participate in the events and activities in the newsletter and to pass your e-mail copy along to other interested contractors. Anyone can sign up to receive Energy Upgrade Update by visiting www.energycenter.org/upgrade or by e-mailing Jesse Fulton at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

GETUP Students Learn Home Performance

The Green Grad Education and Training Upgrade Program (GETUP) launched on July 11 for a dozen students eager to find employment in the home performance industry.

GETUP is a three-part program that includes a two-week hands-on home performance retrofit of an actual home followed by a one-week job skills class. Understanding that getting a foot in the door is a key to finding a job, CCSE is coordinating 30-hour internships for the students with a participating Energy Upgrade California contractor to round out the program.

GETUP students must have completed a green energy training program prior to participation in this workforce development opportunity.

GETUP, funded through American Reinvestment and Recovery Act ( ARRA) funds, is available between now and mid-2012. Other partners in the program are Manpower, which is providing the classroom job skills training, and the California Building Performance Contractors Association (CBPCA), which is providing hands-on training by licensed contractors and energy specialists.

For more information or to participate in the next segment of the GETUP program either as an internship provider or student, please contact Jennifer Green at 858-244-1177.

Countywide Program Offers Deep Discounts

There's a new pathway San Diegans to take to reduce their home's energy use and produce their own solar power – Reduce then Produce, a first-of-its-kind group purchasing program.

Reduce then Produce is a collaborative effort between the City of San Diego, CCSE, Group Energy and more than a dozen local home performance contractors and solar installers. The program, which provides special savings and discounts on home energy efficiency upgrades and solar energy installations, is a complement to San Diego's Summer of Energy Independence, and to participate, homeowners must sign up by October 20, 2011.

For a limited time, contractors participating in Reduce then Produce have agreed to provide the energy assessment for no more than $199. Homeowners may also get incentives for improvements from Energy Upgrade California.

Once the home's energy upgrades have been made, homeowners can join the group solar purchase and receive up to a 30% discount on a solar photovoltaic system from Sullivan Solar Power or SunPower.

For more information or to sign up for Reduce then Produce, please visit www.SDreduceproduce.org.

Financing Workshop Held in August

While rebates and educational programs can motivate a homeowner to save energy, the ability of home performance contractors to make the sale is critical, and often depends largely on financing.

In early August, more than 100 contractors, solar integrators, energy consultants and government official came to a CCSE workshop that explored innovative financing for clean energy home improvements.

The half-day workshop was free to the public and featured keynote speaker mortgage consultant Rick Williams of EcoEnergy Loans and two panels of representatives from financial institutions.

Williams provided the audience with several key strategies for "closing the sales with financing" including numerous financing programs. The presentations demonstrated that no product is a "one size fits all." Contractors who know which financial products work best based on a variety of scenarios will be able to provide the best service to their customers.

"In today's economy, every penny counts so contractors need to be ready with the right tools and information to help customers understand what they need and how to finance their upgrades and Improve their return on investment," said Jeremy Hutman, CCSE's manager for the BetterBuildings Program.

For more information on upcoming workshops please visit the CCSE website and calendar of events at www.energycenter.org.

HERS II Rebates Now Available

On August 1, CCSE launched the HERS II Rebate Program, offering $300 to homeowners who participate in Energy Upgrade California and use a HERS II/ BPI certified rater to perform the test-in and test-out. By working with a HERS II rater, homeowners will receive a home energy rating or score (illustration) that compares the home's energy performance to current energy code standards and other homes with HERS II ratings.

Working with a participating rater to perform your Energy Upgrade California test-ins and test-outs is an option to consider if you are tired of spending time on energy performance testing and modeling when your strength is installing upgrades. HERS II rebates enhance the independent rater pathway, allowing you to:

• Save time in the home by focusing on sales and customer interaction while your rater collects data and completes the testing
• Increase credibility to the homeowner by bringing in an independent third party to do the rating
• Put more money back in your customers' pockets
• Let's you focus on what you do best – upgrades!

The $300 HERS II rebate is offered in addition to Energy Upgrade California rebates offered by SDG&E. Qualified raters are currently being approved to participate in the HERS II rebate program; a list will be updated regularly at www.energycenter.org/hers2. Call a participating rater today or contact Lindsey Taggart at 858-633-1390 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to learn more.

San Diego Contractor Mentoring Program

The Energy Upgrade California San Diego Contractor Mentoring Program is designed to provide participating contractors a full understanding of the program requirements and data collection process, ensure effective implementation of the whole house approach and monitor that contractors are following BPI national standards in each of their energy upgrade jobs. A mentoring session will consist of one-on-one contractor consultation in the following areas:

• Field mentoring
• Desktop mentoring
• Quality control mentoring

Participating SDG&E Energy Upgrade California contractors will have the option to take advantage of up to three comprehensive (test-in & test-out) mentoring sets (field, desktop and QC) at no cost to the contractor.

To submit a request, log into the San Diego Contractor Portal and complete the "Mentoring Request" found under the Contractor Menu specifying the following information:

• Test-in or test-out mentoring session
• Field or desktop mentoring session
• Location of mentoring session
• Three available dates & times for mentoring session

CLICK HERE to learn more about the San Diego Contractor Mentoring Program.

Home Performance Corner

Communicating Benefits beyond the Simple Payback

What is the payback on this measure? I am asked this all the time. It's the first question from the homeowner's lips — usually the husband's. We have to be careful how we frame our response. Most of our measures do not have a compelling return on investment. Except for incandescent for CFL lamps, I can't think of one measure with a shorter than 10 year simple return.

I recall one client who, after being told that with his annual heating and cooling bill of $550, the simple return on sealing and insulating his attic would be about 70 years, laughed and said: "Surely you're joking. I'll be dead long before then!" Click here to continue reading.

Event Calendar


Contractor Participation Workshop – September 7

Basic Building Performance Workshop – September 12-14

Advanced Building Performance Training – September 21-28

Contractor Participation Workshop – October 6

Basic Building Performance Workshop – October 12-14

Advanced Building Performance Training – October 19-26

Full calendar and registration at energycenter.org/upgrade.

Program Accomplishments
as of August 22

Number of Projects Completed – 68

Average Project Cost - Before and After rebate – Before = $12,183 After = $8,316

Average Percentage Energy Savings – 25%

Average Customer Incentive - $2,338

Total kWh Savings – 93,172

Total Therms Savings – 11,491

Start Promoting
Your Energy
Upgrade California Participation Today

Please add the Energy Upgrade California logo web button to your company website. In addition, be proud to add the tagline: "Participating Contractor of the Energy Upgrade California Program." This will add continued credibility to your business and the entire program.

Please do not add the California Center for Sustainable Energy, San Diego Gas & Electric, San Diego County, San Diego City or basically any other entity logo besides Energy Upgrade California.

You can visit the Energy Upgrade California contractor portal for a sample of the web button. If you have any questions, please contact Mitch Moore, brand manager, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or by phone at (858) 634-4742.