California officials have kicked off a home electrification program that will bring free energy-efficient appliances to residents in underserved communities.
The California Energy Commission (CEC) and the County of Los Angeles launched a new effort to bring electrification upgrades through the state’s Equitable Building Decarbonization (EBD) program.
The program replaces old, inefficient, and polluting appliances with modern electric technologies in single-family, multifamily, and manufactured homes.
By providing direct installation of energy-efficient appliances, the program helps to remove upfront costs that often prevent households from making energy upgrades.
Officials marked the kickoff of the initiative on May 27 at McKinney Manor, an affordable housing complex for low-income seniors in San Diego County, according to the CEC.
State and local leaders visited some apartments at the housing complex to see the upgraded appliances, such as heat pump water heaters and induction stovetops.
“By replacing outdated, polluting appliances with modern electric technologies at no cost to residents, California is advancing its climate goals while ensuring healthier, safer, and more comfortable homes for communities that have too often been left behind,” said CEC Commissioner Andrew McAllister, who attended the ceremony.
It was the first project completed in Southern California under the CEC’s EDB program. Overseen by the CEC, the program is administered in Southern California by the County of Los Angeles Internal Services Department in the Southern Region, in partnership with public agencies and community-based organizations.
Depending on household needs and preferences, program participants may receive energy-efficient electric appliances and home envelope improvements. All upgrades are installed by certified local professionals.
The program also covers essential building envelope work, including insulation and air sealing to lock in efficiency, along with required remediation for retrofit installation.
The Southern California part of the program is prioritizing communities that are facing high pollution levels, increased economic challenges, and elevated climate risk in counties of Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside, San Diego, and Imperial.
These communities include:
- Bassett Avocado Heights Advanced Energy Community
- Bell Gardens
- Brawley
- Buena Park
- Carson
- Chula Vista
- Compton
- El Cajon
- El Centro
- El Monte
- Escondido
- Fullerton
- Hawaiian Gardens
- Hawthorne
- Hesperia
- Huntington Park
- Indio
- Lancaster
- Lawndale
- Maywood
- Moreno Valley
- North Hollywood
- Oceanside
- Pacoima
- Paramount
- Pico Rivera
- Pomona
- Ramona
- Riverside/Highgrove
- San Bernardino
- San Marcos/Vista
- Santa Ana
- South Gate
- STORM (Severely Threatened, Overburdened, and Resource-limited Municipalities) communities in San Diego, Victorville/Apple Valley, and Wilmington.
The program has also opened in Central California, where it is administered by the Center for Sustainable Energy, according to CEC.
In Northern California, the Association for Energy Affordability administers the program for homes in counties from Humboldt to Santa Clara.
Funding for the program, which was established under Assembly Bill 209, comes from the Cap-and-Invest Program, according to the CEC.
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