California state agencies are under pressure to reduce costs and improve services. Aging infrastructure demands attention to boost energy efficiency and meet carbon targets. While infrastructure upgrades are appealing, they are hard to implement with competing priorities and limited budgets. However, delaying infrastructure upgrades cannot last forever, and agencies need to take a hard look at reducing operational costs and operating more efficiently to meet their carbon targets and free up budget that can improve their services.
Agencies don’t have to keep doing more with less, and they don’t need to continue to face a daunting and growing deferred maintenance backlog. But where can they find the capital they need to tackle these upgrades – without diverting capital away from their core services? The good news is that money is available now to eliminate their growing deferred maintenance backlogs, support upgrading aging energy infrastructure that is inefficient and costly to maintain, and free up budget to serve their communities better.
The State of California Energy Strategy and Support (SOC ESS) is one of the first utility third-party programs specifically designed to help California state agencies implement energy savings projects. It’s a statewide energy efficiency program administered by Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) and supported by the state’s other investor-owned utilities (IOUs). The program offers project planning for energy efficiency upgrades, technical support, and financial assistance to California state-owned buildings (excluding higher education) in the PG&E, SCE, SoCalGas, and SDG&E service territories.
The program addresses key barriers agencies face while upgrading their energy infrastructure – simplifying their pathway for implementing facility upgrades that increase efficiencies, eliminate energy waste, and reduce maintenance expenses. The program offers direct support to qualifying agencies by:
All eligible agencies have access to the program’s core services to ensure the successful implementation of their energy efficiency projects, speed up project execution, and simplify ESCO procurement.
Here’s a look at four key support areas that SOC ESS offers to agencies:
SOC ESS offers incentives and rebates exclusively for California state agencies:
In addition to offering exclusive incentives and rebates that directly reduce project costs, SOC ESS provides help with applying for additional utility incentives. It also increases access to project financing so agencies can take advantage of all available opportunities – and choose the option that best suits their needs. For instance, California IOU On-Bill Financing (OBF) offerings eliminate upfront cost barriers and make repayment convenient. Golden State Financial Marketplace (GS $Mart) offers installment or lease purchases in a competitive bidding process.
A budget-neutral financing approach is an Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC), which enables government entities to make building improvements that reduce energy use and increase operational efficiency. There is no upfront capital needed on the project cost after SOC ESS incentives and rebates are applied – energy savings and O&M savings pay for the project.
To secure funding eligibility, SOC ESS ensures all energy infrastructure upgrades align with California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) requirements and that regulatory and IOU compliance is followed throughout the process.
SOC ESS provides technical support by working with qualified ESCOs to scope projects, identify energy infrastructure upgrades, perform quality assurance and quality control, and explore alternative energy solutions like demand response, solar PV, and battery storage. The program also provides recommendations for bundling technologies to ensure agencies maximize all opportunities to reduce energy consumption, costs, and carbon emissions across their infrastructure.
SOC ESS pre-qualifies ESCOs to scope and complete projects that meet SOC ESS requirements. Vetting ESCOs simplifies procurement and offers agencies peace of mind that the ESCO they select to perform their upgrades meets the program’s standards.
Reaching your agency’s energy goals is easy to say but hard to do. To get there, you need the right partner. As a Pre-Qualified Trade Professional for the SOC ESS program and an integrator of sustainable energy solutions, Centrica Business Solutions is confirmed to meet many California state procurement requirements and is trained to work with SOC ESS.
We can help you to:
We work with agencies across California to remove complexity – delivering a full range of bundled, end-to-end energy solutions and services. Our unique combination of strategic guidance, industry expertise, innovative technology, flexible funding, and full lifecycle support ensure you make the most of new opportunities, react quickly to market changes, and eliminate complexity and risk. We look forward to learning more about your goals and helping you maximize your energy infrastructure.
