Facilitating Inclusive Utility Investment

Common Spark was contracted by PG&E as part of their regulatory requirement to convene an Equity Committee that would advise a working group of utilities developing a joint proposal for inclusive utility investment, or tariffed on-bill financing, for customer clean energy upgrades. Common Spark guided the recruitment, set up, and facilitation of 11 committee meetings covering a range of topics from the basics and details of tariffed on-bill financing, California specific regulatory requirements, potential benefits and risks to low and moderate income customers, and the financial modeling of projects with and without financing.

Equity committee members included folks from racial justice and equity organizations, consumer advocates, environmental advocates, state and federal agency staff, energy program implementers, and energy financing experts. 

At the end of the project, Common Spark contributed a facilitator's assessment of the Equity Committee work, contributions, and process, including a table of Equity Committee feedback, concerns, and questions, that included utility working group responses, such as if ideas were or were not incorporated into the tariffed on-bill proposal, and why or why not.