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The City of Santa Monica made history June 1, 1999, as green electricity began powering all municipal facilities -- including the Santa Monica Airport, City Hall and the Santa Monica Pier -- making it the first city in the world to switch to 100% renewable resources to meet the power needs of city facilities. Under the contract, the city purchases approximately 5MW of renewables. The proposed purchase is equivalent to the amount of electricity used by 5,000 to 6,000 homes.

As a condition of approval of a property subdivision parcel map, the City of Sebastopol has the right to ask for dedication of solar easements for the purpose of assuring that each parcel or unit in the subdivision receives sunlight for any solar energy system. Sebastopol also has the right to place restrictions on vegetation or building that would interfere with solar access. These easements can be required as long as they do not reduce allowable densities or the percentage of a lot that can be occupied by a structure according to applicable zoning laws.

City of Shasta Lake Electric Utility is providing rebates to their customers for the purchase of photovoltaic (PV) systems. The rebate levels will decrease annually over the life of the program. For fiscal year 2012-2013 the rebate level is $1.81 per watt for residential systems and is capped at $9,050. The fiscal year 2012-2013 rebate for commercial systems is $1.92 per watt capped at $192,000. Interested customers should contact Efficiency Services for more information.

Corona Department of Water & Power is providing rebates for residential and commercial photovoltaic (PV) systems. The rebate amount for 2013 is $1.22 per watt up to $3,660 for residential systems and $30,500 for commercial systems. Customers must submit an application and receive approval prior to beginning the installation. See website above for complete details and requirements.

[http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/09-10/bill/asm/ab_0001-0050/ab_45_bill_200... Assembly Bill 45] of 2009 authorized counties to adopt ordinances to provide for the installation of small wind systems (50 kW or smaller) outside urbanized areas but within the county's jurisdiction. The bill also addressed specific aspects of a typical wind ordinance and established the limiting factors by which a county's wind ordinance can be no more restrictive.

San Bernardino's Board of Supervisors launched Green County San Bernardino in August 2007. The program includes a number of incentives to encourage residents, builders, and businesses to adopt more sustainable practices.

'''''Note: The California Energy Commission adopted the 2013 Building Energy Efficiency Standards for new residential and commercial construction on May 31, 2012. The new standards are expected to take effect on January 1, 2014, and represent significant energy and water savings compared to the current standards. Among many notable provisions, the new standards will require new homes and businesses to be built "solar ready", allowing for an easier installation of photovaltaic panels at a later time.

Burbank Water and Power (BWP) offers the Business Bucks Grant Program to its small and mid-sized business customers for installation of energy efficient equipment. Businesses with monthly electricity costs in the range of approximately $100 to $3,000 are eligible for this program.

Burbank Water and Power offers a rebate to business customers for installing energy efficient equipment in eligible facilities. The rebate is offered for a variety of energy efficient measures and technologies, including retrofits for:

* lighting
* HVAC
* central heat pump units
* motor replacement
* thermal energy storage
* cool roofing
* PC network power management software
* custom made retrofits that fit program criteria

The U.S. Green Building Council is a non-profit organization that promotes the design and construction of buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable, and healthy places to live and work. The Green Building Council developed the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System in order to more accurately provide incentives those using these practices.