Case Study
Electricity providers in the U.S. and Canada are making strides in educating and engaging consumers on how to better control how much energy they use, the resulting costs they incur and the benefits of shifting their usage.
These case studies collected by the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative spotlight how smart energy technologies have engaged consumers to enable them to match the energy they use with their needs and lifestyles.
MCE is a not-for-profit public agency that provides electricity service and cutting-edge energy programs to more than one million residents and businesses across four Bay Area counties. As California’s first Community Choice Aggregation program, their mission is to confront the climate crisis by eliminating fossil fuel greenhouse gas emissions, producing renewable energy and creating equitable community benefits.
In November of 2016, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved MCE’s LIFT pilot program, which aimed to reduce the energy burden and improve the quality of life of residents in income-qualified multifamily properties. The program specifically aimed to incentivize switching gas and propane heating equipment to high-efficiency electric heat pumps to help decarbonize space and water heating loads.
Through late May 2021, more than $1 million in incentives had been distributed, and 680 qualifying households received upgrades such as switching natural gas and propane heating equipment to high-efficiency electric heat pumps. Participants saved over 7,800 kilowatt-hours and decarbonized energy loads from space and water heating.
