CleanPowerSF’s Electrify Your Home Wins Energy Innovation Award
The SFPUC's Electrify Your Home program is only two years old, but it's already making an impact in encouraging customers to replace gas-powered appliances with electric alternatives. For its efforts in developing a new approach and meeting customer and community needs, the CleanPowerSF team was recently recognized at the California Climate & Energy Collaborative Forum with an Energy Innovations & Breakthrough award. This recognition underscores the SFPUC’s commitment to providing reliable and safe electric programs to the San Franciso community.
This award is given each year at the CCEC forum to recognize technologies, programs, or approaches that advance California's clean energy transition in a novel or replicable way.
“We designed this program to provide meaningful safeguards and direct financial incentives for customers who choose to electrify,” said Tim Minezaki, Utility Specialist for SFPUC’s Power Enterprise. “Under this model, upgrading to electric appliances will not increase customers utility bills. Instead of relying on one-time incentives with limited funding, we built a financially stable framework with long-term sustainability in mind, so every customer has access to the benefits of electrification.”
Electrification is a major goal for both San Francisco and the State of California. Despite electrification being one of the best ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, it has faced recent headwinds with rising electric rates. This is where Electrify Your Home comes in: The program is designed to protect San Francisco residents from rising electric bills and instead reward those who electrify with a series of $50 monthly bill credits. For example, upgrading your water heater will give you 24-months ($1,200) and upgrading your gas dryer will get you 6-months ($300).
These credits are paid for by future revenues, not a fixed fund, providing a sustainable funding mechanism to make sure that the program can continue to be accessible to all customers moving into the future.
Electrify Your Home incentivizes San Franciscans to utilize our own clean, electric energy in the fight against global warming and helps people prioritize their own health by getting rid of gas-fired appliances, which can release harmful pollutants into your home and community. There’s clearly been a lot of reasons to electrify, but this incentive program provides an extra one for those living in San Francisco.
Congratulations to Tim Minezaki and the CleanPowerSF team on this notable achievement!
If you’re a San Francisco resident and are considering purchasing an electric home appliance, you may be eligible for these credits. Check out the Electrify Your Home website to learn more and spread the word to your friends and neighbors.
