The Napa Valley Climate Connection: A personal energy transition ... - Napa Valley Register

The Napa Valley Climate Connection: A personal energy transition journey

In our last Climate Connection column, MCE representative Dave Garti discussed ways we can reduce our energy footprints as we approach the colder winter months. Here, Napa Climate NOW! member Linda Joshua shares additional tips from her own quest to become more energy efficient.

As the drumbeat of news related to climate change continues, many of us want to know how we can become more energy efficient cost effectively. We now understand that our own behavior is a key component in the practical implementation of change. So, I am on a journey to do what I can to make our household as efficient as possible. There are big and expensive projects that we can take on — solar, heat pumps, induction cooktops, and electric vehicles — but what about the small and cheaper tools we have at our disposal?

This led me to BayREN and its home energy audit program. While we’ve mentioned BayREN in past columns, I thought our readers might like to know more about it. In 2013, the nine Bay Area counties collaborated to create the Bay Area Regional Energy Network (BayREN). It now receives more than $20 million a year from the California Public Utilities Commission to fund rebates, educational efforts, and other programs, with additional funds coming from utility ratepayers.

People are also reading…

BayREN has partnered with the Rising Sun Center for Opportunity, a nonprofit organization, to help with personalized residential energy and water efficiency needs through the Green House Call service. Rising Sun’s mission is very compelling: it specializes in preparing youth, women, and individuals in reentry for economically resilient careers and green pathways that offer family-sustaining wages. Rising Sun hires and trains local youth energy specialists to serve communities across the Bay Area with no-cost home energy and water assessments. This used to be a house call experience, but due to the pandemic, the program is now largely contact-free.

Residents can sign up for a Green House Call by completing a 10-minute survey, which may qualify them for a free energy and water efficiency kit with installation instructions delivered directly to their door. These kits include replacement fixtures like LED lightbulbs, advanced power strips, sink aerators, and more. They also contain information about programs to achieve deeper energy savings, such as PG&E’s Home Energy Analytics and Home Energy Checkup programs. (Kits are only available to residents who have not already received the service within the past five years.)

Supporting Rising Sun, while getting more information around home energy efficiencies and free climate-friendly products, is all upside in my book! The survey works toward a customized solution not only for your household, but also for tailored services to fit your community’s needs.

I started by taking the Green House Call survey online, though you can also call (510) 665-1501 ext. 300 to talk with a trained staff member. It actually took closer to 15 minutes, and is all self-reported. I was quizzed about energy-efficient lighting, high-efficiency aerators, showerheads, insulation, and power strips. I quickly got a sense of areas in which I needed to improve. I received instant approval that I had qualified for a kit and was told that the items would reach me in about three weeks.

Sure enough, a few weeks later the kit arrived, including:

- LED light bulbs, standard and floodlight
- A smart power strip ($70 value)
- A Smart Wi-Fi bulb
- High-efficiency bathroom and kitchen sink faucet aerator(s)
- High-efficiency showerhead(s)
- Toilet leak detection tablets
- Information on other energy-saving and green programs

All in all, this has been a very satisfying start to a more energy-efficient future.

Actions You Can Take

- For information about eligibility and participation in the Green House Call program, visit https://risingsunopp.org/programs/ghc/
- Turn lights off to the extent safely possible, and use fans instead of air conditioning
- Set the thermostat higher in the summer and lower in the winter to avoid excess energy use
- Charge cell phones, laptops and other devices before 2 p.m. and after 9 p.m.
- Unplug energy “vampires” when not in use, such as television sets, game consoles, and coffee makers

Napa Climate NOW! is a local nonprofit citizens’ group advocating for smart climate solutions based on the latest climate science, part of 350 Bay Area. Info, napa.350bayarea.org