California regulators last Thursday allocated funding of more than $17 million to the state’s four major investor-owned utilities to be used for marketing energy efficiency to low-income customers through the individual utilities and through a statewide integrated program involving marketing, education and outreach programs.

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) followed up on its decision last year establishing the state’s first strategic energy efficiency plan, which mandated a low-income segment for the 2009-2011 period. However, the CPUC had the private-sector utilities hold up funding allocations for marketing until a full marketing/education/outreach strategy was completed this year.

The CPUC last month set energy efficiency budgets for 2010-2012 (see Daily GPI, Sept. 25). The $3.1 billion, three-year energy efficiency program is to be implemented by the state’s four major private-sector utilities, and it was touted as being the state’s most ambitious efficiency effort to date.

A goal of the CPUC-adopted statewide efficiency strategy targeted the low-income customer sector specifically, noting that “by 2020, all eligible low-income customers will be given the opportunity to participate in the low-income energy efficiency [LIEE] program.” To accomplish this goal, the regulators and utilities were to apply social marketing tools and the development of “recognizable and trustworthy” brands for LIEE programs.

Last Thursday’s action turns loose $8.6 million in funds held for the 2010 and 2011 marketing effort, along with allocating another $1.2 million among the four utilities for their contribution to the statewide marketing, education and outreach effort, and another $7.1 million is spread among the four utilities for 2010 and 2011 LIEE marketing programs.

Allocations were made to Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E, $7.8 million), Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas, $4 million), San Diego Gas and Electric Co. (SDG&E, $3.2 million) and Southern California Edison Co. ($2.1 million).

“In general, the utilities are supportive of the equitable cost-sharing approach in calculating their contribution to the general statewide program, consistent with [an earlier resolution],” the CPUC said in its order adopted as one of four dozen consent agenda items. “Edison envisions some fund shifting, but PG&E, SoCalGas and SDG&E do not anticipate any fund shifting or disruptions.”

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