Local Leadership in Action: BayREN’s Role in Statewide Climate Conversations
In July, the Bay Area Regional Energy Network (BayREN) proudly participated in three conferences focused on advancing local climate and energy solutions: the Strategic Growth Council’s Catalyst Convening, the State/Local Energy & Climate Coordination Meeting (SLECC), and the sold out 16th Annual California Climate and Energy Collaborative (CCEC) Forum – where over 550 attendees gathered around the theme: “Hope in Action: Local Leads the Way.”
BayREN’s participation at CCEC highlighted the critical role Regional Energy Networks (RENs) play in supporting local governments to lead on climate action. BayREN Director, Jane Elias, opened the forum with a powerful address, joined by representatives from all RENs across California. Together, they emphasized that RENs now serve 450 cities and over 37 million people throughout the state. This is a testament to the significance of RENs statewide, underscoring their impact in accelerating energy efficiency, reducing emissions and embedding equity into building improvements. From providing capacity for local governments to implementing programs that directly impact residents, RENs are key partners and collaborators for local governments to achieve their climate goals, positioned to lead with agility and innovation.
The BayREN team participated in multiple CCEC sessions, sharing insights, tools, and strategies that are helping communities across the Bay Area—and soon, across California—transition to a cleaner, more equitable energy future.
Jillian Du, BayREN’s Efficiency and Sustainable Energy (EASE) Home Program Manager, spoke at the session “Decarb's Path to the High Road: How to Create Quality Jobs in Residential Building Decarbonization.” The panel explored how local leaders are designing programs that reduce greenhouse gas emissions while creating good jobs for a strong workforce. As a direct-install program, the EASE Home Program manages contractors to install weatherization and energy efficiency upgrades in single family homes. The program partners with contractors that meet requirements such as paying at or above prevailing wages and being in the communities they serve—demonstrating that programs can be a driver for energy efficiency while also upholding strong workforce standards.
BayREN’s Assistant Director, Karen Kristiansson, presented in “Connecting Data Point Dots: Using Data Tools to Develop Effective Reach Codes and Energy Policies.” The session featured four data tools that local governments can use to obtain and analyze data about the buildings in their jurisdictions. Two of these tools, the Bay Area Energy Atlas and the BayREN Existing Buildings Study, were developed by BayREN. The session also covered the Explorer tool from the Statewide Utilities Reach Code team and the California Energy Commission’s Building Benchmarking Dashboard. Session attendees were able to see how the information from all four tools could be used to inform and help develop local energy and climate policies.
Maria Hart, a BayREN Program Manager, spoke during the “What’s in a Label? Using Home Energy Score to Advance Local Climate Action” session. She discussed the expansion of BayREN’s Home Energy Score (HES) program to become a statewide offering. The session was a learning opportunity for local government staff attendees to understand how to implement local HES programs to meet their jurisdictions’ climate action goals. The interactive session discussed what a Home Energy Score is and how BayREN, the City of Berkeley, and Yolo County are using it to upgrade existing single-family housing. Participants were able to learn about and examine challenges in upgrading existing buildings in their jurisdictions, building a workforce for energy assessments in rural areas, and the role of mandatory disclosure ordinances and voluntary programs.
BayREN also participated in the Catalyst Convening Conference to provide feedback on how to collaborate more closely to elevate and catalyze climate, energy, and land use progress. The conference was a gathering of cross-sector leaders focused on unlocking transformative climate solutions through collaboration and innovation.
Additionally, BayREN joined the State/Local Energy & Climate Coordination Meeting. This conversation between state and local leaders focused on aligning efforts around energy resilience, wildfire impacts, and climate goals through roundtable discussion.
BayREN’s engagement at these conferences reaffirmed the vital role of local government to lead the way in climate action. As we continually improve our programs and partnerships, BayREN remains committed to centering community and collaboration in everything we do.