SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) today expanded the company’s strong commitment to disadvantaged communities by signing on to the White House’s new initiative to increase energy efficiency and clean energy adoption in those communities.

As a partner in the Better Buildings Clean Energy in Low Income Communities Accelerator, PG&E will work with the U.S. Department of Energy, state and local officials, corporations, universities and others to help reduce energy bills in disadvantaged communities through expanded implementation of energy efficiency measures and renewable energy sources.

PG&E strongly supports California’s ambitious goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality. The new plan through the Department of Energy’s Better Buildings initiative calls for national collaboration to accelerate investments that bring these options to disadvantaged communities.

“PG&E is committed to ensuring that all of our 16 million customers share in the savings and benefits of energy efficiency and clean energy, which are essential to combatting climate change and creating cleaner air. We’re demonstrating our strong commitment to supporting all the communities we serve, regardless of income, by signing onto the White House’s new initiative for expanding these options to disadvantaged communities. Collaborations such as these are a powerful tool for enabling California’s clean energy future and ensuring it remains accessible and affordable to everyone,” said Aaron Johnson, vice president, Customer Energy Solutions for PG&E.

The Better Buildings Clean Energy in Low Income Communities Accelerator supports the President’s Climate Action Plan with a goal to advance investment in home energy efficiency improvement projects across the country. The program will encourage the development of innovative partnerships, best practices and funding models that a state-level agency, local government or utility could deploy for communities that need it the most.

“Thanks to a dedicated drive to actively create and share the best energy efficiency solutions, Better Buildings partners have dramatically cut their energy waste and saved more than a billion dollars since the Better Buildings initiative was launched five years ago. As the initiative continues to grow, we are moving the nation forward by reducing energy costs and carbon emissions through energy efficiency,” said U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz.

As part of the launch of the Accelerator, PG&E participated in a White House workshop earlier this week with representatives from the Department of Energy, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Environmental Protection Agency.

The initiative will further PG&E’s long track record of supporting disadvantaged communities through a range of existing options and programs, such as:

• The California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) Program gives qualified households deep discounts on their energy bills. After signing up for CARE, combined gas and electric customers receive 30 percent or more in monthly savings on their energy bill; gas-only customers receive 20 percent or more in monthly savings.

• Customers who participate in the CARE Program may also be eligible to save even more energy and money through the Energy Savings Assistance Program, which provides customers with free energy-saving improvements to maximize energy efficiency in their home.
• For over 11 years, PG&E has partnered with Habitat for Humanity for PG&E’s Solar Habitat Program. PG&E has provided more than $10.6 million to help respond to the housing needs of families and fund the installation of solar on more than 700 new-construction Habitat for Humanity homes throughout in Northern and Central California.
• PG&E and GRID Alternatives have partnered for over 11 years to provide solar for low-income households and support the SolarCorps program to provide motivated individuals the opportunity to join GRID Alternatives for one year to obtain on-the-job service training and preparation for a career in the solar or electric utility industry.
• PG&E administers the Multifamily Affordable Solar Housing (MASH) program, which provides incentives to offset the costs of installing new rooftop solar systems on multifamily, affordable housing buildings in California.

About PG&E

Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas and electric utilities in the United States. Based in San Francisco, with more than 20,000 employees, the company delivers some of the nation’s cleanest energy to nearly 16 million people in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit www.pge.com/ and www.pge.com/en/about/newsroom/index.page.

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Source: PG&E Corporation