San Diego County’s plan to reduce greenhouse gases and lessen the harms of climate change in large part hinges on input from residents.
Across multiple years of outreach and engagement, over 20,000 people asked questions and pitched ideas to help shape the county’s most recent Climate Action Plan (CAP). The county held 170 community meetings and events from 2021 to 2023, culminating in a period of public review before the CAP was finalized in 2024. It established a greenhouse gas reduction goal of net-zero emissions by 2045.
To help achieve this ambitious goal, the CAP directs the county to develop a program encouraging people to switch to energy efficient appliances in unincorporated San Diego. In many cases, that means switching from gas-powered to electric appliances.
The state already has a free appliance exchange initiative called the Equitable Building Decarbonization (EBD) program. Now, San Diego County is planning to build on this existing program to reach more residents.
“One of the main goals of the Equitable Building Decarbonization program is something that's known as ‘energy equity,’" said Ariel Hamburger, Land Use/Environmental Planning Manager with the county's Sustainability Planning Division. “It's really building programs that take into account how low-income communities can be part of the transition to electrification.”
Appliances including HVAC systems, faucets, stovetops, dryers and water heaters are eligible for replacement. EBD will send licensed local installers to residents that qualify for upgrades — whether they’re getting a new smart thermostat or an electric clothes dryer.
The state’s EBD program was already set to take place in parts of unincorporated San Diego County that the state identified as under-resourced. But earlier this month, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted to spend an additional $500,000 to expand the program to all unincorporated areas, including the local Environmental Justice Communities of Spring Valley, Sweetwater, North El Cajon and North Lemon Grove. These communities are considered especially vulnerable to environmental pollution.
San Diego County is sending the additional half-a-million dollars to Los Angeles County, which administers the Southern California sector of EBD. With this expansion, Hamburger says more than double the communities than originally expected can participate in the free appliance exchange program.
County Board of Supervisors Chair Pro Tem Paloma Aguirre believes this expansion will create jobs and reduce monthly costs for residents.
“We know that low-income households spend three times more of their income on energy than higher income households,” Aguirre said at a recent board meeting. “Energy efficiency upgrades can reduce household utilities by 20 to 30%. Programs like this allow us to reduce housing costs while advancing our Climate Action Plan through a policy that benefits both people and the planet.”
Supervisor Jim Desmond voted in favor of expanding the program, but said he worries that prioritizing the switch to electric appliances could put too much strain on the grid.
“Already we're seeing issues, particularly with the hottest days of the month, with the grid's lack of capacity to keep up with electricity demands,” he said.
According to Aguirre, San Diego Gas & Electric has committed to the CAP’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2045 with a plan to manage grid capacity amid decarbonization efforts.
Some members of the public expressed concern about the agreement with Los Angeles County and worried the additional funding would not go toward helping San Diegans.
“So now, instead of a homegrown solution, the board wants to throw $500,000 at LA's EBD,” one public commenter said.
But Tyler Farmer, Assistant Director of the county’s Planning & Development Services, told KPBS that the money will go directly to San Diego County residents.
The county insists that investing in this partnership will cost less than developing a San Diego-specific decarbonization program.
“The savings for it will mostly be in what we would have had to expand to create our own program — bring on a contractor, facilitate all of the applications, then get the money out to the contractors that will do the direct installs,” Farmer said. “That is the biggest cost savings that will occur from it.”
San Diego County opened its application portal for residents in the originally-identified communities on Oct. 15. Farmer says the EBD program is expected to consider applications from people in the expanded communities in the new year.
To apply, residents must live in unincorporated San Diego County and meet certain household and income requirements. The county checks the eligibility of applicants before matching them with a program advisor who assesses their appliance needs and guides them through what upgrades make the most sense.
