October 2019
New Report
Increasing Energy Efficiency in Low-Income Housing

Improving the energy performance of existing buildings will be key to achieving California's greenhouse gas emission goals. But low-income, multifamily buildings face obstacles including limited access to capital, complex financing arrangements, and competing renovation needs. While California offers a number of incentive and rebate programs, barriers such as strict income qualification criteria, energy data opacity, and the complexity of combining multiple incentives have hampered progress.

To address these challenges, CLEE and UCLA School of Law's Emmett Institute convened stakeholders to identify solutions to address key challenges, increase access to energy efficiency incentives, and unlock environmental, financial, and quality-of-life benefits for owners and residents alike. Our report,  Low Income, High Efficiency , details the top policy, governance, and financing solutions surfaced by the stakeholder group. You can also watch our accompanying webinar featuring California Energy Commissioner Andrew McAllister, Peter Armstrong of Wakeland Housing, and Martha Campbell of the Rocky Mountain Institute.

For more information, contact Climate Director Ethan Elkind or Climate Research Fellow Ted Lamm. 
Faculty & Staff
In the News


Writing in  Utility Dive , Ted Lamm and California Energy Commissioner Andrew McAllister argue that California should prioritize low-income residents in its fight to slow climate change by taking on policy recommendations from our recent  report .


Ethan Elkind discusses housing sprawl in California and how this may impact the state's climate goals in the San Francisco Chronicle. 

 

Conference Brief
From Brussels to the Bay: Climate Risk and Sustainable Finance in the EU and California

The global financial system faces structural risks from the worsening impacts of climate change and the various policy responses to it. As leading jurisdictions like the European Union (EU) and California seek to address these risks, they face significant questions about what actions will be necessary and how financial regulators and industry members across the globe will need to coordinate decision-making and resource-sharing.

To address these concerns, we hosted experts and leaders in sustainable finance from California and the EU in May 2019 for a conference to discuss climate-related financial risks and key regulatory developments in the US and Europe. These include the EU Sustainable Finance Action Plan and Green Taxonomy efforts that seek to drive sustainable investment through innovative regulatory incentives, and US industry partnerships in implementing new disclosure and accounting standards. Our conference brief highlights the key insights delivered at the conference.

For more information, contact Climate Risk Initiative Director Dave Jones or Climate Research Fellow Ted Lamm.

CLEE is dedicated to developing pragmatic policy solutions to critical environmental and energy challenges, and to supporting the education of tomorrow's leaders in this field. If you would like to support these efforts, please consider making a one-time or recurring donation through  our giving portal.