Building Equity into Home Electrification Programs: Promises and Pitfalls in Implementation

Webinar | Thursday, September 3, 10:00 – 11:00am PT

Meeting California’s ambitious greenhouse gas reduction goals requires decarbonizing its existing housing stock—replacing gas furnaces, water heaters, and stoves with electric equipment such as heat pumps, alongside improvements to insulation, wiring, and addressing health and safety problems in the home.

A growing number of state and local policies and programs seek to get there, including through zero-emission appliance standards and retrofit incentives, such as rebates. However, low-income households and communities of color face significant barriers to implementation, including high upfront costs, limited technical capacity, owner-renter split incentives, and displacement risk. Overcoming these barriers will not only advance the state’s emissions goals but also ensure that all Californians benefit from the clean energy transition.

Research Presentation:

• Rachel Morello-Frosch, inaugural Associate Provost for Energy, Climate, and Environment, UC Berkeley
• Carolina Reid, Faculty Research Advisor, Terner Center
• Findings from Equitable Housing Decarbonization: Implementation Approaches, a recent study prepared for the California Air Resources Board on stakeholder interviews and new survey-based evidence on how retrofits affect energy insecurity and well-being among low-income households.

Panel Discussion:
Panelists will discuss implementation approaches for housing decarbonization that expand access and build local communities’ capacity. These experts include:

• Awoenam Mauna-Woanya, Building Decarbonization Engineer, California Air Resources Board (Moderator)

• Edgar Barraza, Energy Equity Policy Coordinator, Physicians for Social Responsibility Los Angeles

• Brendan Brown, Director of Evaluation & Impact, Green & Healthy Homes Initiative

• Yael Nidam Kirsht, Research Scientist, Equitable Housing Decarbonization Project, UC Berkeley

• Christine Selig, Healthy & Resilient Homes Director, PODER (People Organizing to Demand Environmental & Economic Rights)

Register for the September 3 webinar

Equitable Housing Decarbonization: Implementation Approaches, a recent study completed for the California Air Resources Board, draws on interviews with policymakers, energy utilities, program implementers, community-based and environmental justice organizations, and households across the state, as well as new survey-based evidence on how retrofits affect energy insecurity and well-being among low-income households.

This report and webinar have been made possible by the California Air Resources Board. We are also grateful to Wells Fargo and Sobrato Philanthropies for supporting the Center’s work on climate and housing solutions.