TO: Napa County Climate Action Committee
FROM: Brian D. Bordona, Director of Planning, Building, and Environmental Services
REPORT BY: Ryan Melendez, Planner II, Sustainability
SUBJECT: Presentation on the BayREN Public Sector Programs
RECOMMENDATION
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PRESENTATION: Bay Area Regional Energy Network (BayREN) Public Sector Programs.
STAFF REQUEST: Receive a presentation from Alyssa Dykman and Sean Youra, Program Managers for the Bay Area Regional Energy Network (BayREN) Public Sector Programs: Integrated Energy Services (IES) and Targeted Decarbonization Showcase (TDS).
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Sean Youra and Alyssa Dykman will deliver a presentation on two new BayREN programs: Integrated Energy Services and Targeted Decarbonization Services and how each program can help local government agencies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in buildings, while improving their resiliency.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: The proposed action is not a project as defined by 14 California
Code of Regulations 15378 (State CEQA Guidelines) and therefore CEQA is not applicable.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
In Napa County, the ongoing use of buildings accounted for 23% of all anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2019. Many buildings, both residential and commercial, in Napa are older with less efficient equipment, leading to increased energy consumption and GHG emissions. Updating and upgrading the buildings in Napa County will be imperative to reducing emissions and reaching climate goals in the region. Publicly-owned buildings are no exception.
BayREN has launched two new public sector programs to support local governments and special districts as they work to improve the energy performance and reduce greenhouse gas emissions of their public buildings. The IES and TDS programs are similar, but distinct in specific approaches and complimentary to each other. Both programs are designed to help alleviate staff capacity and financial constraints to completing building upgrades. These two programs are the best vehicle for public agencies to arrive at their energy and climate goals.
The Integrated Energy Services Program focuses on providing holistic support for all energy-related building systems and includes the Energy Concierge as well as an Energy Roadmapping service. The Targeted Decarbonization Services Program is focused on building decarbonization and offers the Decarbonization Showcase as well as a Decarbonization Education and Financing service. Both programs are free for Bay Area local governments and special districts who have facilities with an electricity and/or natural gas account serviced by PG&E. More information can be found at <https://www.bayren.org/public-programs>.
Integrated Energy Services:
- The Energy Concierge Service provides an objective single point of contact to assist local public agency staff with identifying the best opportunities for technical assistance, financing, and incentive options for public facilities projects. These points of contact will also provide assistance in completing applications and accessing programs.
- The Energy Roadmapping Service provides technical and engineering assistance for public agencies to develop roadmaps for improving public facilities. This service will also provide no-cost energy assessments for designated and potential Community Resilience Centers, and technical assistance for energy improvements.
Targeted Decarbonization Services:
- The Decarbonization Showcase provides resources to develop pilot projects which demonstrate approaches to building decarbonization. Resources include technical and financial support for selected public facilities projects on a variety of building types and priority to buildings serving equity priority communities.
- Decarbonization Education and Financing services provides training and other resources to help familiarize public agency staff with new, low/zero-carbon equipment and financing strategies. This assistance also includes help to explore financing alternatives, including leveraging alternative funding sources and testing incentives structures. These services help bridge the gap between maintaining the status quo of older, less efficient technologies and implementing newer, more efficient and climate-friendly equipment.
Sean Youra is a Public Programs Project Manager with the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC). He works in the Agency’s Energy Section and leads the Bay Area Regional Energy Network’s (BayREN) Integrated Energy Services program, which serves local governments and special districts in the Bay Area by providing technical assistance to support municipal building upgrades. Prior to his role with ABAG/MTC, he served as the Town of Fairfax’s and Town of San Anselmo’s first shared Climate Action Coordinator and led the implementation of their Climate Actions Plans, as well as supporting the development of countywide climate plans and strategies. He holds a master’s degree in environmental sciences and policy from Johns Hopkins University.
Alyssa Dykman is a Public Programs Project Manager and leads the Targeted Decarbonization Services program for the Bay Area Regional Energy Network (BayREN). In this role, she supports local governments and special districts to advance the deployment of technologies and strategies needed to achieve building decarbonization. Prior to joining BayREN, Alyssa worked at AECOM as a Climate Action Project Manager, helping public sector agencies across the nation advance their climate action, resiliency, and decarbonization goals. Alyssa also served as the City of Piedmont's first Sustainability Program Manager, where she led the implementation of the City's Climate Action Plan and other related programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. She holds a Master of Environmental Management degree from Duke University, including Certificates in Geospatial Analysis and Community-Based Management.