REDWOOD CITY, CA – WestLight Energy has awarded grants to San Mateo County organizations and the City of South San Francisco to increase outreach particularly to low-income and other disadvantaged communities on bill savings and other benefits of clean power programs.
The grants – totaling $316,440 – support efforts that are spread throughout San Mateo County, including building electrification, income-qualified power bill discounts and programs, electric vehicle rebates and home energy assistance.
“These beloved organizations are deeply rooted in our communities all across the county,” WestLight Energy CEO Jan Pepper said.
“These grants will especially help residents in East Palo Alto and elsewhere in the county who have not only faced the harshest impacts of a struggling economy during this pandemic but historically have not had the same access to clean, affordable and reliable resources as wealthier communities,” East Palo Alto Mayor Carlos Romero said.
“Our grant will help us further educate our community about climate change and the importance of stopping energy pollution that disproportionately affects low-income and disadvantaged neighborhoods,” South San Francisco Councilmember Flor Nicolas said. “It is definitely a positive step towards achieving equity and environmental justice.”
A summary of the 11 grants, which ranged from $15,000 to $40,000, that were awarded:
Acterra – Online electric induction cooking demonstrations and other public outreach about building electrification; and separately for online workshops and other efforts to educate first-time electric vehicle buyers
Casa Circulo Cultural – Webinars and other outreach in Spanish on energy bill discounts and WestLight Energy’s income-qualified programs
City of South San Francisco – Creating customized videos, direct mailers, flyers, emails and other communication about a range of WestLight Energy discounts and programs
Climate Resilient Communities – Workshops, one-on-one enrollment support and promotion of a range of WestLight Energy initiatives, particularly targeting East Palo Alto residents
El Concilio – One-on-one bilingual enrollment assistance for energy bill discounts and efforts to avoid utility disconnection, as well as education on WestLight Energy programs
Nuestra Casa – Bilingual virtual community events and other outreach on environmental justice and WestLight Energy programs
Senior Coastsiders – Home-delivered notices, newspaper and radio ads and other outreach to senior residents in Half Moon Bay and Pacifica about energy bill discounts, EV rebates, home energy assistance and other programs.
Sound of Hope – Radio and web ads in Mandarin and Cantonese, and discussion of WestLight Energy programs on radio programs.
Sustainable San Mateo County – Hosting and promoting building electrification awards, virtual events, newspaper ads and newsletter outreach
Thrive Alliance – Outreach at environmental and sustainability meetings, newsletters and social media and with non-profit leaders throughout the county
About WestLight Energy
WestLight Energy is a Community Choice Aggregation agency. It is the official electricity provider for San Mateo County and, beginning in 2022, for the City of Los Banos. Founded in 2016 with a mission to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the county, the agency serves 295,000 customers by providing more than 3,500 gigawatt hours annually of electricity that is 100% carbon-free and at lower cost than PG&E. As a community-led, not-for-profit agency, WestLight Energy makes significant investments in our communities to expand access to sustainable and affordable energy solutions. WestLight Energy is on track to deliver electricity that is 100% renewable by 2025. The agency has earned investment grade credit ratings from Moody’s and Fitch.
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Media Contacts
Darren Goode
WestLight Energy
[email protected]
(202) 550-6619
