Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) announced the completion of nearly $1 million in energy efficiency upgrades for the 791 residents at One Quail Place Apartments, an affordable housing community in Palm Desert.
The upgrades SoCalGas provided include 11 high-efficiency boilers which will supply hot water to all 384 apartment units in the community. In addition to the energy-saving high-efficiency boilers, SoCalGas and SoCal Edison (SCE) installed low flow showerheads, low flow aerators, thermostatic shower valves, thermostatic tub spouts, door weather stripping, high efficiency HVACs, refrigerators and exterior light bulbs in units and throughout the complex. The work is part of SoCalGas’ Energy Savings Assistance (ESA) program’s Common Area Measures (CAM) effort. The upgrades will reduce overall operating costs at the community by cutting energy consumption by nearly 15%.
“SoCalGas is committed to doing our part to help California reach its climate goals which includes enabling our customers to conserve energy while also saving money,” said Brian Prusnek, director of customer programs and assistance at SoCalGas. “We are proud to have worked with the City of Palm Desert and SoCal Edison to provide a more energy-efficient and comfortable living environment for the 791 residents at One Quail Place.”
“The partnership with SoCalGas and SoCal Edison represents a true collaboration for the public good,” said Palm Desert Mayor, Kathleen Kelly. “The operational dollars saved by this project will aid the Palm Desert Housing Authority in providing additional affordable housing opportunities to the public.”
“The improvements we made in collaboration with SoCalGas will help this housing community and the residents save money by reducing energy usage without sacrificing comfort,” said Eugene Ayuyao, SCE’s senior manager of customer programs – energy efficiency and conservation. “One Quail was our first project that’s part of the CAM program and will serve as a model for our future projects in this program.”
SCE replaced 242 HVAC units and seven refrigerators inside individual residences throughout the complex. The company also replaced 475 exterior bulbs and ten pool and spa lights. These new, energy-efficient upgrades are expected to reduce the complex’s energy usage by about 200,000 kilowatt-hours annually.
The Common Area Measures initiative, through the Energy Savings Assistance Program, aims to provide low-income, deed-restricted properties with no-cost energy saving upgrades to their common areas. This could include boiler or water heater replacements, pipe insulation and ancillary services. The offering is ratepayer funded and administered by SoCalGas at the direction of the California Public Utilities Commission.
To qualify, the property must be deed restricted and the owner must certify that at least 65% of the resident households meet the ESA income guidelines. Energy efficiency services provided differ by utility and are limited to the communal areas, or common energy systems, of the residential building(s) or property. This program can be combined with the ESA in-unit offerings.
In the last five years, SoCalGas’ energy efficiency programs have generated over $1 billion in avoided energy costs and delivered more than 219 million therms in energy savings, enough natural gas usage for 548,000 households a year. These energy savings reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 1.15 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, equivalent of removing more than 250,000 cars annually. Overall, these measures have helped SoCalGas customers save over $241 million on their natural gas bill costs over the past five years.
In 2020, the company’s energy efficiency programs helped conserve more energy than any other natural gas utility in the U.S. SoCalGas’ energy efficiency programs saved enough energy to power 100,000 homes in southern California for one year. The utility invests more in energy efficiency than any other local natural gas distribution company in the country and currently operates the largest natural gas energy efficiency program.
