The City of Palm Desert is dedicated to energy conservation as something that makes good financial sense and protects our environment for the future. The innovative Set to Save partnership is part of a longstanding commitment that is also on display in the solar panels that help power City facilities, the alternate fuel cars and trucks that make up a large part of Palm Desert’s vehicle fleet, and in Palm Desert’s forward thinking construction efficiency standards.
Set To Save Program: Conceived and designed to be a groundbreaking model for other communities to follow, Set to Save, also known as the Palm Desert Partnership Demonstration Project, teams the City of Palm Desert with its energy utilities, Southern California Edison and Southern California Gas Company, and The Energy Coalition as partners in an aggressive energy efficiency and conservation campaign.
The program is designed to empower the community to save money and energy by reducing energy consumption and peak demand within the City by 30% (adjusted for growth) within five years through education, added financial incentives, new technologies and services, and a variety of City-wide efforts to heighten awareness and participation by Palm Desert residents.
Palm Desert residents and businesses can take advantage of thousands of dollars in cash incentives by replacing old air conditioning, heating, ventilation, lighting, refrigeration, and pool pumping equipment with new, more energy efficient models.
Participating is easy! For a complete list of rebates and program details, contact Palm Desert’s Office of Energy Management, 73-510 Fred Waring Drive, at 760-837-0287, or visit online at www.SetToSave.com
Solar Energy: The Coachella Valley’s bright and ample sunshine makes solar energy a smart option here and the City of Palm Desert, in cooperation with the State of California, already has programs to encourage its use.
Southern California Edison offers incentives for installing photovoltaic Solar Systems to homeowners, commercial industrial customers, and government and non-profit organizations. Money also has been allocated to help fund solar systems for low-income and affordable housing.
In Palm Desert, the City has waived building permit fees on the installation of photovoltaic solar systems in homes and businesses. The end result is an approximate savings of more than $400 for homeowners and businesses that invest in solar power.
In addition to encouraging solar installations in new residential, commercial, and industrial construction, rebates on solar heating and cooling systems and solar hot water heaters are being offered. All electric and gas customers of Southern California Edison and Southern California Gas Company are eligible to apply for incentives.
For more information call 800-799-4177 or visit www.gosolarcalifornia.ca.gov. Additional information on the solar rebate program can be found at http://sce.com/RebatesandSavings/CaliforniaSolarInitiative.
Construction Standards: Recently approved construction efficiency standards are a key part of the City of Palm Desert’s efforts to cut local energy consumption and demand.
The new standards apply to all new residential and commercial buildings throughout the City, requiring them to consume 10% less energy than allowed by State law with the exception of homes over 4,000 square feet, which are required to consume 15% less energy than allowed in California.
The new City standards also encourage the use of solar power systems. Developers of production homes are required to install a photovoltaic solar system on at least one of the sales models and offer solar systems as a customer upgrade on all homes.
In addition, the new standards encourage the use of added insulation, high performance windows and glass doors, as well as high efficiency air conditioning and heating systems, in new buildings.
For more information call the City Department of Building and Safety at 760-346-0611, ext. 430.