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Save Water, Energy, Money and the Environment

Volume 7, Number 8

August / September 2011

In This Issue...
Calling Volunteers!
Energy Upgrade CA
SCE Lamp Exchange
Gas Co. Smart Meters
Water Reliability 2020
Where Does Wastewater Go?
Vanpools are Business-Friendly
Saving Water in Torrance
SEED House Event
Volunteer Spotlight
Title 24 Workshops
Become an Energy Champion
August Events
September Events

Calling Volunteers!
There has never been a better time to help out and be recognized.
 

Email Martha, call 310.371.7222, x 209 or complete our volunteer application and submit by email or fax.
 

You can make a huge difference!
 


 Visit Our Cities

Carson
El Segundo
Gardena
Hawthorne
Hermosa Beach
Inglewood
Lawndale
Lomita
Manhattan Beach
Palos Verdes Estates
Rancho Palos Verdes
Redondo Beach
Rolling Hills
Rolling Hills Estates
Torrance

SCE Customers in San Pedro & Harbor City

County Unincorporated Areas in South Bay

 

 

 

2011 Rebate Info
The Gas Company

Southern California Edison West Basin Municipal Water District
 
 

Energy Upgrade California

 

 

 

 

En Espa�ol
The Gas Company
Southern California Edison Sanitation Districts of LA County
Metro
 
County of Los Angeles 

 

 

Find us on FacebookFollow us on Twitter

 

 

www.sbesc.com 

  
  
To read the South Bay Cities Council of Governments' latest edition of its newsletter, South Bay Watch,
click here

Program Manager's Message

Energy Upgrade California has officially launched the Energy Champions program in Los Angeles County.  This is a fabulous way for local community-based organizations to raise money and encourage their homeowners to make their homes more energy efficient at the same time!  Nonprofit and faith-based organizations, K-12 public AND private schools, homeowners associations, and South Bay chambers of commerce are all invited to apply.

  

 

As an Energy Champion, an organization will receive $500 for each homeowner whom they introduce to the Energy Upgrade program and completes a home energy upgrade, and then watch those dollars build up! 

 

If you have any questions, please be sure to call us at (310) 371-7222.  Enjoy the rest of your summer, and by the way, have YOU called a participating contractor yet?

- Marilyn Lyon,

 Program Manager

[email protected]

 

 

 

 

Energy Upgrade Logo

Energy Upgrade California

 

 

Summer Bonus Deadline Looming

 

September 5 is the deadline to reserve your $2,000 rebate from Los Angeles County for your Energy Upgrade California project.  You must take the first step TODAY and call a contractor to start talking about the kinds of energy saving projects your home needs.  Go to www.energyupgradeca.org/lacounty for a list of qualified, participating contractors.

 

If you want to go even further and get your home "Green Point Rated", you may qualify for up to an additional $1,000 rebate.

 

Home Energy Makeover Contest - Brown Family Closeup

Meet Lisa Brown, a real estate professional who just completed the $10,000 Energy Upgrade she won for her 1,700 square foot home. Built in 1951, the home was costing Ms. Brown approximately $2,465 a year for electricity and gas. In an effort to reduce her bills and improve the home's appearance, she recently replaced all of the windows. But the bills didn't decrease.   Why? 

Financing options are now available.    

LA County has launched a financing program to deliver special financing for property owners doing energy upgrades to their homes through Energy Upgrade California in LA County. In partnership with lenders, the program will provide loans at lower interest rates.

 

To be eligible, property owners must receive an incentive reservation from the SCE and/or SoCalGas Energy Upgrade Whole Home Rebate Program. Coverage includes those customers that receive full or partial rebates from the Energy Upgrade California Whole Home Rebate Program sponsored by SCE and/or SoCalGas.
 

The program is expected to provide loans from $2,500 to $15,000 with fixed interest rates below 9% and loans from $15,001 to $50,000 at a significantly lower fixed interest rate. There is a 680 FICO minimum requirement for property owner eligibility.

Click here for more information on the finance option.

 

Southern California EdisonSCE

Lamp Exchange
JUST DAYS AWAY!

 

Bring up to 10 old lamps per day to the two day lamp exchange in the parking lot of the Forum in Inglewood THIS WEEKEND, August 27-28 and exchange them for new, free, energy efficient ones.  The event starts at 8:00 am on Saturday morning, and SCE is expecting record crowds, so plan to arrive early.  Shopping carts will be provided to help you manage your lamps.   Your old lamps must be in working condition with their current light bulbs in the sockets, but please leave the lamp shades home!

Click here for Lamp Exchange Flyer 

 

The Gas CompanyThe Gas Company

Smart Meters Are Coming! 
 

 

Southern California Gas Company is upgrading their metering system by adding a wirelsss communication device to all residential and most business natural gas meters.  This advanced metering technology will automatically read and transmit customers' gas usage information to the Gas Company Customer Service and Billing Center.  The benefits to customers are all good! 

Click Here for More Information on Gas Company Smart Meters

 

West Basin Municipal Water DWest Basin Municipal Water Districtistrict
Water Reliability 2020 - Speakers Available

If your club, community organization or group needs a speaker to round out a program, please give SBESC a call at (310) 371-7222, x 206,  and we can arrange for an expert to give a 30 minute presentation on Water Reliability 2020, and how each person can contribute to the effort
 to reduce dependence on less reliable imported water to coastal LA from 66% all the way down to 33% by the year 2020.    Remember, every drop counts.

 

An Ocean Friendly Garden Workshop has been scheduled in Redondo Beach on September 10 at the Wilderness Park.  What a great place to have a workshop.  Check out the September Events section below for more information.

 

Sanitation Districts of LA County

Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County

Where Does Your Wastewater Go?

 

Have you ever wondered what happens to your wastewater? Find out on this FREE tour! Visit the Joint Water Pollution Control Plant, owned and operated by the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County. The tour will be held on Saturday, August 27 from 9 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. at the Joint Water Pollution Control Plant, located at 24501 S. Figueroa Street, Carson, 90745. Ages 7 and up are welcome.

Click here for a Tour flyer  

 

Sanitation Districts Partnering with Manhattan Beach's Grades of Green
 

Skip the ziplock, recycle your milk carton, and please compost that banana peel.  That's the lesson the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County wants to teach area school children this year. On August 17 the agency announced that it will partner with Grades of Green, a Manhattan Beach-based non-profit group, to conduct its first "Trash Free Lunch Challenge."  The contest will divert thousands of bags of trash from area landfills and save schools thousands of dollars in supplies and trash hauler fees.

 

Any school within the Sanitation Districts' service area is eligible to participate.  The first qualified 10 schools to register will receive an Eco Starter Kit worth more than $1,500 from Grades of Green.

For more information and to register your school, click here for Grades of Green.

Source: Sanitation Districts - Press Release

 

L.A. Metro
 Vanpools are GreatVanpools are Business-Friendly

 

  • Free assistance to start one
  • Subsidy of up to $400 a month
  • Gets your employees to work on time
  • Employees arrive less stressed and ready to work
  • A happy employee is a productive employee
  • Save on payroll taxes when vanpoolers pay with pre-tax dollars
  • Vanpools solve parking problems, reduce traffic congestion and ease parking space shortages

 

To schedule a Vanpool meeting at your business, or if you would like a copy of a beautiful brochure that says all of the above and more, call SBESC at (310) 371-7222 and ask for either Martha or Grace.

 

City of Torrance
City of Torrance

Saving Water in Torrance

 

The City of Torrance is in the process of completing restroom retrofits in most city -owned buildings to reduce water usage. Upon completion, approximately 300 older high water using toilets and 80 urinals will be replaced. The project is funded by ARRA stimulus dollars, outside sources, including the Metropolitan Water District, and other funding.

 

In addition, over the last three years the City has replaced approximately 2,000 older inefficient toilets with high efficiency toilets (HET) for a number of customers in the city including;  small businesses, institutions, hotels / motels and multi-family complexes, through a number of partnership conservation programs with the West Basin Municipal Water District, the Water Replenishment District, and the Metropolitan Water District.

 

SEED House Event a Huge Success

Homeowners / Contractors Mixer on August 20

 

Homeowners had the chance to talk to contractors face to face on Saturday, August 20 about the Energy Upgrade Program at the Southbay Energy Efficient Demonstration House in Lennox.  They learned about air sealing, attic insulation, duct sealing, hot water pipe insulation, combustion appliance safety testing, and how they can qualify for generous rebates from LA County and the utilities to help pay for these improvements.   In addition they were treated to complimentary food from gourmet food trucks brought in just for the occasion.

Click here for some pictures of the event.  

   

 

Volunteer Ty Carter

Volunteer Spotlight

Ty Carter

 

Volunteer Tyrone Carter is a local home grown guy who spent many years here in the South Bay area and attended El Camino College, where he was the football team's most outstanding defensive back and team captain in the 80's.

Click Here to Learn More About Ty  

 

Two Title 24 Workshops in September

ICC Continuing Education Credits are Available

 

SBESC is excited to be hosting two FREE Residential Energy Code trainings for plan checkers, building inspectors, and anyone whose job is about Title 24 compliance and preparing compliance paperwork for submittal.  In other words, the focus of the workshops is Title 24 as it applies to the jobs of Plans Examiners and Building Inspectors and the forms they need to have and why.

 

The trainings are delivered by SCE and the California Statewide Codes and Standards team.  The program is funded by California utility customers under the auspices of the California Public Utilities Commission.

 

Architects who wish to attend this training need to know it is not eligible for AIA CEU's.

 

The workshops will be held on September 8 in El Segundo, and September 15 in Redondo Beach.  To register, click the hyperlink in the attached flyers.  HURRY - seats are filling up!

 

El Segundo September 8 Flyer

 

Redondo Beach September 15 Flyer 

 

 

Be an Energy Champion
Become An Energy Champion

 

Are you interested in raising money for your organization while helping reduce energy use?

 

Energy Upgrade California in Los Angeles County has launched the Energy Champions program to help community-based organizations raise money by encouraging homeowners in their communities to make their homes more energy efficient. An Energy Champion organization can receive $500 for each homeowner they introduce to the Energy Upgrade program who completes a home energy upgrade. 

 

The Energy Champions program is currently accepting applications from nonprofit and faith-based organizations, K-12 public and private schools, homeowner associations, and chambers of commerce located within Los Angeles County. If your organization is interested in bringing important information to the community and raising funds at the same time, please apply at www.EnergyUpgradeCA.org/LAChampions or call 800-439-9339

 

August Events
   

Southern California Edison Lamp Exchange

Saturday and Sunday, August 27-28, 2011

8:00am - 1:00pm

The Forum Parking Lot

3900 West Manchester Boulevard, Inglewood

Click Here for Lamp Exchange Flyer 

 

Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County

FREE Tour - Joint Water Pollution Control Plant

Saturday, August 27, 2011

9:00 - 10:30am

24501 S. Figueroa, Carson

Click Here for an Event Flyer

 

September Events

SBESC office will be closed Monday, September 5

    

FREE Tour of Sanitation Districts' Bixby Marshland

Saturday, September 3, 2011

8:00am - 12:00pm

First Saturday of Every Month

Near the intersection of Figueroa & Sepulveda in Carson

Click Here For More Bixby Marshland Information

 

West Basin Municipal Water District

FREE Tour of Edward C. Little Water Recycling Facility

Saturday, September 10, 2011

9:30 - 11:30am

Second Saturday of Every Month

1935 Hughes Way, El Segundo

To reserve a spot, call (310) 660-6200

 

West Basin Municipal Water District

Ocean Friendly Garden Workshop

Saturday, September 10, 2011

10:00am - 1:00pm

Wilderness Park

1102 Camino Real, Redondo Beach

Click Here to Register for OFG Workshop on September 10

 

City of Carson
Sanitation Districts Household Hazardous Waste Roundup
Saturday, September 17, 2011
9:00am - 3:00pm
Joint Water Pollution Control Plant
West Maintenance Building Parking Lot
24501 South Figueroa Street
Click here for a map to the Carson HHW

 

Whole House Energy Upgrades for Remodeling Workshop

South Bay Adult School

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

7:00 - 9:00pm

Mira Costa High School, Room 36

701 S. Peck, Manhattan Beach

Click Here to Register for September 20 Workshop

 

City of Manhattan Beach
Moving Planet South Bay

Saturday, September 24, 2011

8:00am - 2:00pm

13th St. Between N. Valley & Morningside, Manhattan Beach

A fun, family-friendly celebration of a more bikeable, walkable and liveable Beach Cities presented by: City of Manhattan Beach, South Bay Bicycle Coalition, Transition South Bay LA, Healthways Blue Zones / Vitality City, South Bay 350 Climate Action Group