Best Practice Guide

Local Governments

Case Study

Pasadena, City of

Background
Location: Los Angeles County
Population: 133,936 (Census 2000)
Size: 1,650 full-time employees
Contact: John Hoffner, Public Benefit Charge Program Manager
150 S. Los Robles Ave., Suite 200, Pasadena, CA 91101
Phone: (626) 744-4420
E-mail: jhoffner@ci.pasadena.ca.us
Website: www.PWPweb.com

Summary
Pasadena took a creative, all-encompassing approach to energy conservation. Its public awareness and education campaign, "You Have the Power to Conserve," involved numerous public services and incentives, such as landscaping classes and rebates for buying electric vehicles and for installing solar-power roofs. The city's services and incentives are estimated to save customers $2,173,000 in energy costs each year. Pasadena was also ranked number 2 out of 19 commercial customers for load curtailed in the state's Voluntary Load Curtailment Program.

Referenced in Local Government Guides:

  • #3, "Promote Energy Conservation and Efficiency Through a Public Outreach Campaign "
  • #4, "Promote Energy Conservation and Efficiency Through Public Services, Incentives and Technical Assistance "
  • #5, "Target Low-Income and Senior Populations for Energy Conservation "

Plan
Pasadena Water and Power (PWP) developed a marketing campaign, "You Have the Power to Conserve, " to promote energy conservation. PWP recognized water as a major energy user and developed programs intended to save water, thus saving energy. Pasadena coordinated its efforts with other city departments, including Public Works & Transportation, the Police Department and the Health Department. By cooperatively developing and implementing its energy conservation campaign, PWP has been able to extend its resources to a greater number of residents and businesses. Additionally, the Pasadena city council set a goal to reduce energy consumption in all city facilities by 10 percent.

Programs: Conservation
Alternative and/or renewable energy sources: Twenty-one electrical vehicles (EVs) were leased in April 2001 for the following city departments: meter readers, parking enforcement, printing services, power troubleshooters, transportation engineers and utility customer service representatives. The vehicles included two Toyota RAV4s, ten Nissan hyper-minis, eight Ford Ranger pickups, two Ford Thinks! and one Chrysler minivan. Public and private chargers for EVs were increased to 36 chargers at 16 locations. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory leases one city-owned parking lot, used by commuting EV drivers. PWP provided approximately $4,868 in rebates to PWP customers in Pasadena for leasing electric vehicles.

Programs: Public Outreach

  • Free CFLs: Mailed all PWP customers a coupon with an offer for a free 3-pack of compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. 8,337 CFL packages were distributed
  • Bill inserts: Promoted refrigerator recycling, purchasing ENERGY STAR®-approved products, replacing incandescent bulbs with CFLs and using efficient thermostat settings.
  • Newsletters: The Conduit, a monthly business newsletter, updated all PWP business customers on energy conservation results and new commercial energy efficiency programs and products. One business was spotlighted each month for its contribution to energy efficiency and conservation. Energy-related questions received on the website and via the AnswerLine from local businesses were answered each month also in the newsletter. Approximately 7,000 newsletters are mailed monthly. PWP also printed educational information in neighborhood association newsletters.
  • Point-of-purchase displays: Made available ENERGY STAR® posters, appliance stickers, mobiles and rebate applications to local retailers. The ENERGY STAR® displays were designed to encourage customers to purchase energy-efficient products and promote energy conservation.
  • Phone hotline: The AnswerLine was established in February 1998 for all PWP customers. Operators were available to answer questions about utility assistance, conservation programs and rebates and provide energy and water conservation tips.
  • Website: PWP engineers and conservation specialists were available to answer technical questions posted by customers on the PWP website.
  • Water & Energy Conservation Kit: PWP made available to customers a kit that consisted of:
    • Conservation tips and frequently asked questions with answers.
    • The Energy Cost Calculator to determine the cost of using specific appliances and electronics per day depending on the cost of electricity per kWh.
    • The Lawn Watering Guide intended to determine the amount of time an individual should water their lawn based on size and depth.
    • Brochures for low-income and seniors/disabled persons. Energy can be expensive so these brochures were designed to help select populations lower their utility bill. Applications to the Utility Assistance Program and Lifeline Program were included in the brochures.
    • An H2O information booklet that included resources and ways to conserve water.
  • Landscaping classes: Focused on water-efficient garden design, plants and irrigation and were held once a week in October 2001 and again in August 2001. Irrigation timer controls were available for residential customers. Twenty Pasadena residents attended each class.

Programs: Services
Refrigerator Recycling Program: PWP picked up and recycled old refrigerators for 965 customers. Participating customers received a $25 rebate.

Programs: Incentives

  • Appliance rebates: Offered rebates for Ultra Low Flow Toilets, High Efficiency Clothes Washers, Cooling Tower Conductivity Controllers and Automatic Faucet Shut-Off Valves. PWP's website provided detailed information about residential and commercial water use rebate programs, how to qualify and sign up.
  • Energy Partnering Program: Provided efficiency measure rebates to help PWP businesses cut power consumption and operating costs. Free technical assistance was provided to determine the payback of projects being considered. PWP's rebate incentive program either matched the business's first year energy-savings or paid up to 25 percent of the total cost of the project (whichever cost was less).
  • Additional conservation incentive rebates: Offered energy conservation rebates to residential and commercial customers through PWP. Customers conserving 5 percent received a 5 percent discount on their bill while those who conserved 10 percent or more compared to their previous year's electric bill received a 10 percent discount. Overall, 83,675 rebates were distributed totaling $5,375,930. PWP's website provided detailed information about residential and commercial water use rebate programs, how to qualify and sign up.
  • ENERGY STAR® appliance rebates were available through PWP for residential customers to purchase energy-efficient models. Rebates ranged from $50 to $550 depending on the purchase price. If a customer purchased the product from a Pasadena retailer, they were awarded an additional 10 percent rebate.
  • Photovoltaic rebates: Eleven residential customers, chosen from a pool of applicants, installed roof-mounted photovoltaic systems, averaging 2 kW each. Each customer received a rebate of $5 per watt.
  • Refrigerator rebates: Three programs aimed to encourage customers to use more energy-efficient refrigerators:
  • Refrigerator Recycling Program: PWP picked up and recycled old refrigerators for 965 customers. Participating customers received a $25 rebate.
  • Refrigerator Replacement: 596 low-income and disabled customers received a free super-efficient refrigerator to replace their inefficient refrigerators.
  • ENERGY STAR® Program: Residential customers purchased efficient refrigerators and received individual rebates from $100 to $220 depending on the purchase price. If a customer purchased the product from a Pasadena retailer, they were awarded with an additional 10 percent rebate.

Budget and Finance
Totaling approximately $3 million to $4 million annually, the Public Benefits Fund allocated money for rebate programs, partnering programs and paid for the electric vehicles. Results The response rate to the free CFL package direct mailer was 17 percent; 8,337 CFL packages were distributed. The City of Pasadena ranked second for participation in the Voluntary Load Curtailment Program for the State of California. This state program, developed to mitigate the threat of rolling blackouts, encouraged commercial businesses to voluntarily agree to reduce energy consumption during power emergencies in exchange for financial incentives. Nineteen commercial customers voluntarily participated in the program providing 7.5 MW of curtailable load. The city reduced energy usage in city facilities by 12 percent, exceeding its goal of 10 percent.

Results
The response rate to the free CFL package direct mailer was 17 percent; 8,337 CFL packages were distributed. The City of Pasadena ranked second for participation in the Voluntary Load Curtailment Program for the State of California. This state program, developed to mitigate the threat of rolling blackouts, encouraged commercial businesses to voluntarily agree to reduce energy consumption during power emergencies in exchange for financial incentives. Nineteen commercial customers voluntarily participated in the program providing 7.5 MW of curtailable load. The city reduced energy usage in city facilities by 12 percent, exceeding its goal of 10 percent.