As humorist Mark Twain reportedly once said, “Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it.” That may have been true 100 years ago, but as climate-related disasters increasingly affect the Western United States, Sacramento doesn’t have the luxury of sitting back to see what happens.
That’s why SMUD is doing everything possible to eliminate the use of fossil fuels and reach a zero-carbon footprint by the end of the decade. And one effort that is making a significant difference is the Complete Energy Solutions (CES) program, which is helping small and midsize businesses become more energy efficient and reduce their carbon footprint.
CES, which is delivered by SMUD through its partners TRC and Brighton Energy, offers an integrated approach to comprehensive energy-efficient retrofits, electrification improvements, peak-demand reduction and electric vehicle charging while ensuring long-term energy and carbon reduction savings. One local organization benefitting from CES is Capital Christian Center, a church that traces its roots back more than a century and today includes a 60-acre campus with a sanctuary and several additional buildings.
The current church was built in the 1980s and relied on natural gas for heating and cooling and also primarily used incandescent light bulbs that were far from efficient. During 2021 and 2022, the church used more than $172,000 in incentives from SMUD and began transitioning to all-electric systems powered by renewable sources and on-site solar panels. It also plans to remove up to 99% of the gas lines from church property over the next several years. During 2021 and 2022, the church installed 63 energy- efficient heat pumps and is in the process of installing more than 50 additional units. In addition, they are retrofitting all its lighting systems to be energy efficient.
“We came to the conclusion that we wanted to do a deeper dive on fuel switching and getting all the gas lines completely off the roof. We would not have been able to do this without the continuous support of our Strategic Account Advisor Jane Agatep, who worked with me to structure this project from day one,” says Travis Brown, who oversees Capital Christian Center’s special projects and development. “SMUD is an important long-term partner to everything we are doing on our campus.”
Zachary Lawrence, program manager for CES, says the goal is to make it as easy as possible for Sacramento companies to improve efficiency and reduce their energy costs. “It’s in everybody’s best interest to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels while also reducing the risk of wildfires and other disasters that are unfortunately becoming more frequent. This program helps companies of all sizes use electricity more efficiently so they can scale back their energy use when demand is at its peak. This is not only good for the planet, but it also prevents outages that can seriously affect everyone in our community.”
One of the best parts of the program is how easy it is to get started. Any business in the SMUD service area can sign up for a no-cost energy assessment, apply for permits, receive grants and begin the process of improving their energy efficiency with no up-front costs.
“We want to make it as easy as possible so that businesses can focus on what they do best,” Lawrence says. “It really is a turnkey approach because we are all in this together and when a business becomes part of the program, we all reap the benefits.”
For more information or to sign up for CES, visit smud.org/CES, email CES@trccompanies.com, or call 844-529-4084 during regular business hours.
