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Thank you for subscribing to the Marin County Sustainability Team quarterly newsletter.
In this issue, we are sharing tips for saving on your utility bills this winter, updates to rebate programs and other incentives for completing home energy efficiency projects, upcoming Earth Day events, and other program updates.
As always, you can find information on our programs at our website, or you can contact us with questions about our programs for your home sustainability projects.
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 If you've noticed a sharp increase in your utility bills this winter, you are not alone. Increased utility rates due to higher global natural gas prices, a colder than average winter, and other factors, have made Marin residents do a double take after opening their monthly utility bills.
Here are some simple energy-saving tips, no-cost programs for homeowners and renters, energy-saving project ideas for homeowners, and income-qualifying programs that can help lower utility bills and keep your home comfortable.
- Lower your thermostat, especially when not at home.
- Check your water heater settings (your water heater should be set at 120 degrees for maximum efficiency).
- Close the damper when not using your fireplace.
- Unplug unused electronics (or use a smart power strip that turns off automatically when not in use).
- Switch incandescent and CFL light bulbs to LEDs.
- Passive solar heating: let the sunlight in during the day and close the drapes at night.
 These programs are available to renters and homeowners. They provide you with information on your energy usage and strategies for lowering your utility bills.
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OhmConnect: a no-cost service available in California that helps residents manage their energy use through smart thermostats and/or smart plugs that connect to your smartphone. Users can get points through OhmConnect by saving energy which can be redeemed for prizes.
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HomeIntel: an energy-saving program for PG&E customers. HomeIntel provides a free smart audit and personal energy coach. Your energy coach will analyze your utility bills and work with you to identify ways to save.
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Rising Sun Center for Opportunity Green House Call Program: residents receive a no-cost online energy-evaluation and no-cost energy-saving kit sent to them in the mail. The kits contain LED light bulbs, and smart power strip, faucet aerators, and more.
 If you own your home, an investment in home energy efficiency and electrification will pay dividends through better comfort and indoor air quality, and with high utility rates, you'll see a financial return on investment over time.
Here are some project ideas and rebate programs that can help homeowners lower their utility bills and increase comfort in their homes.
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Get a home energy audit. Not sure where to start? Getting a home energy audit will inform you on what features in your home to start with, and what projects will give you the biggest bang for the buck.
- The Home Energy Score program provides a $200 rebate for each home score. You can look for Home Energy Score Assessors that serve Marin residents here.
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Upgrade insulation and air sealing. A good metaphor for understanding how insulation and air sealing work together is wearing a wool sweater and a wind breaker on a cold and breezy day. The wool sweater retains your body heat and the wind breaker stops the cold air from blowing through your sweater. Upgrading your home's insulation and air sealing is one of the most cost-effective projects to lower heating and cooling costs, and it can greatly improve a home's comfort levels.
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Electrify your gas appliances. Improvements in technology (heat pumps and induction cooking) and higher gas rates have made powering your home with electric appliances more cost-competitive in recent years. If your home has solar panels, switching your gas furnace or water heater to an efficient heat pump alternative makes a lot of sense.
 Marin residents who are low-income are eligible for the following energy assistance programs:
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Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), administered by Community Action Marin: LIHEAP can provide a one-time payment to help pay for utility bills and can also provide in-home weatherization services.
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MCE Clean Energy Home Energy Savings Program: Provides no-cost energy audits and energy efficiency upgrades for income-qualified applicants.
 Funding for energy efficiency and electrification projects through federal, state, and local programs has increased in 2023 and will continue to increase in 2024 when the Inflation Reduction Act up-front discounts become available. Some experts think we may be reaching a period of "peak incentive," which means now is the best time to plan for fuel-switching and energy efficiency projects for your home.
Here are a couple examples of gas to heat pump projects and how much incentives a PG&E gas customer in Marin would qualify for right now.
Additional incentives through TECH Clean California are scheduled to become available in March 2023. Visit The Switch is On for the latest information on the TECH rebate program.
Additional rebates through the Self-Generation Incentive Program will become available later this year. The Switch is On website is a great resource for tracking the SGIP rebate program availability.
The Switch is On created an Incentives Guide, which covers additional projects and funding sources.
Rebate programs carry different eligibility requirements and processes for their applications. They can also go away with no or very short notice. Our office is available to help answer questions about what programs are currently available and how to navigate them.
 Speaking of incentives, now is a great time to switch a gas stove or cook top to induction. Marin residents can receive $750 from the BayREN Home+ and $250 to $500 from Electrify Marin.
Why induction? Induction cooking provides a much more responsive and safe cooking experience than electric-resistance and gas cooking. You also eliminate combustion gases from your kitchen. For kitchen remodels, induction stove tops open up design possibilities by freeing up cabinet space, and they require less overhead ventilation per the building code. Induction works by directly heating your cookware, which makes the process a lot more energy efficient than electric-resistance and gas cooking. It's also easy to clean!
 Spring is around the corner and that means warmer weather and community events. Here are some upcoming events that the Marin County Sustainability Team are participating in:
- San Geronimo Valley Community Center Earth Day
- 6350 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, San Geronimo
- Saturday, April 22, time 12pm to 3pm
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Earth Day Marin
- 180 Camino Alto, Mill Valley
- Sunday, April 23, 1pm to 5pm
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Second Annual Ember Stomp
- Civic Center Fairgrounds
- Saturday, May 20, 11am to 5pm
 Earth Day Challenge for Local Businesses
Attention Marin Businesses: Do you want to save money while being more environmentally friendly? The California Green Business Network can help your business thrive through our Green Business certification program. Business across the state are working to get certified in time for Earth Day 2023.
For a limited time only, businesses that participate will get priority support of free environmental consulting from our team and a minimum $500 rebate for approved purchases. Program staff will help you implement environmental best practices at your workplace, ensuring that your environmental footprint stays small while your business grows.
The Marin Green Business Program has helped Marin businesses through the certification process since 2002. Contact us today at 415-473-3069 or mchhabria@marincounty.org.
 Spring Resilient Neighborhoods Workshops
Just in time for spring cleaning - the Resilient Neighborhoods program is forming new teams at the end of March. These 5-session workshops teach residents how to evaluate their carbon footprint and take steps towards making reductions in a fun and supportive environment.
Visit the Resilient Neighborhoods website to learn more and sign up for a team.
 Marin Reusable Foodware Ordinance
As of 2012, 120 billion single-use cups were used per year in the United States,equal to 370 per person per year. (in a non-COVID year!)
By this measure, Marin County uses more than 95 million cups per year (95,765,620).
Since the average C02 footprint of a paper cup is 0.033 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, Marin County’s single-use cup use equals over 1400 tons of greenhouse gas emissions.
The County of Marin and Tiburon have adopted the Reusable Foodware Ordinance and other Marin cities are considering adoption. For the full list of cities and for more information on the Reusable Foodware Ordinance, visit the webpage.
 MarinCAN (a climate action network) exists because of the generosity of 150 community members who collaborated and wrote our Strategic Plan. Our purpose is to contribute to countywide projects that reduce 60% of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, address climate impacts, and amplify social equity.
MarinCAN works in pursuit of a county where local organizations and climate leaders receive support both technically and financially to refine climate strategies and catalyze action in service to Marin community residents.
We don’t intend to create and launch new projects. We do intend to invest in community-supported initiatives in all of Marin’s towns and cities. We believe this approach will energize and scale up the work of local environmental organizations, civic groups, and sustainability advocates in local government.
This new value will enable our partners and the Marin community to not only mitigate and adapt. It will create collective action to reverse the causes and impacts of the climate crisis through 6 focus areas.
Environmental activists and projects sponsored by MarinCAN will increasingly make it possible for Marin residents to stay informed, participate in climate action, and move beyond climate-related guilt and anxiety into a resilient, sustainable future.
If you care about the environmental work in your community and you are seeking a network that aims to share resources and solve problems, join the MarinCAN movement. To make a difference, we must first come together.
Follow MarinCAN:
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