Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) today (Jan 12) announced over 13,400 new single-family residential units and multi-family projects have enrolled in the 2021 Energy Efficient New Homes (EENH) Program, which enables homebuilders to construct energy efficient homes at a lower cost and continues to deliver on SoCalGas' commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). The result is higher levels of efficiency and utility bill savings for future residents. The EENH Program was projected to save approximately 150,000 net therms with over $250,000 in customer bill savings for eventual homeowners, which reduces over 794 metric tons of CO2 emissions in 2021 alone.
The program offers rebates to builders of eligible new single-family and multi-family projects. New residential construction projects that exceed California's Title 24 Energy Efficiency Standards and are equipped with qualifying gas appliances and equipment are eligible to apply.
"Our portfolio of energy efficiency programs has proven to show results in reducing GHG emissions. Further innovations in our customer offerings will play an increasingly important role in our path to achieving net zero GHG emissions by 2045," said Gillian Wright, senior vice president and chief customer officer at SoCalGas. "Energy efficiency is one of the most cost-effective method for achieving the state's climate goals. In 2020 alone, SoCalGas energy efficiency programs saved over 40 million therms with $44 million saved on customers' utility bills."
Through the EENH program, builders can receive energy efficiency rebates on appliances installed in new residential construction projects. Newly constructed stand-alone units and low-rise and high-rise multi-family projects, such as an apartment or duplex, served by SoCalGas may be eligible. Rebates are available for tankless water heaters, furnaces, washers and dryers, and pool heaters, among other equipment. Multi-family residential unit rebates are also available for central water heating boilers, boiler controllers, and demand control recirculating pumps.
Additional incentives are also offered to projects which qualify as:
- U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Designations
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) WaterSense-Labeled Home
The EENH program has provided more than $3,900,000 in rebates for efficient appliances in new construction since 2018. In 2020, 25 percent of new single-family residential (SFR) homes within SoCalGas' service territory enrolled in the program and the program is projected to save an estimated 300,000 net therms with over $450 thousand saved in utility bill savings for future homeowners over the next two years. This will reduce emissions by over 1,500 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) annually which is equal to removing over 300 vehicles off the road for one year.
"The SoCalGas EENH Program has been an important tool our builders have utilized to reduce energy loads and CO2 emissions in the homes they build," said Craig Foster, executive vice president at BIASC. "We applaud SoCalGas and encourage our builder partners to take advantage of the EENH Program's rebates on high-efficiency gas equipment which helps deliver energy efficient homes with lower utility bills."
SoCalGas' energy efficiency programs have been serving as an industry leader for more than a decade. In the last five years, SoCalGas' energy efficiency programs have saved customers over $250 million on their natural gas bills and $1 billion in avoided energy costs. The energy savings are equivalent to reducing over 1.2 million metric tons of CO2e. The energy saved is enough to power 145,000 households for one year.
SoCalGas is dedicated to building the cleanest, safest, most innovative energy company in America. Energy efficiency serves as one of the many initiatives that supports the company's goal to transition to a decarbonized energy system and is a step towards fulfilling our climate commitment.
About SoCalGas
Headquartered in Los Angeles, SoCalGas® is the largest gas distribution utility in the United States. SoCalGas delivers affordable, reliable, and increasingly renewable gas service to 21.8 million consumers across 24,000 square miles of Central and Southern California. Gas delivered through the company's pipelines will continue to play a key role in California's clean energy transition providing electric grid reliability and supporting wind and solar energy deployment.
SoCalGas' mission is to build the cleanest, safest and most innovative energy company in America. In support of that mission, SoCalGas is committed to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in its operations and delivery of energy by 2045 and to replacing 20 percent of its traditional natural gas supply to core customers with renewable natural gas (RNG) by 2030. Renewable natural gas is made from waste created by dairy farms, landfills, and wastewater treatment plants. SoCalGas is also committed to investing in its gas delivery infrastructure while keeping bills affordable for customers. SoCalGas is a subsidiary of Sempra (NYSE: SRE), an energy services holding company based in San Diego.
For more information visit socalgas.com/newsroom or connect with SoCalGas on Twitter (@SoCalGas), Instagram (@SoCalGas) and Facebook.
