Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) and the City of South Gate today announced they will pilot a joint program to allow more homes to get energy-efficiency upgrades under the utility’s Energy Savings Assistance (ESA) program. The ESA program helps income-qualified customers lower their energy bills by providing them with energy-saving home improvements like insulation, weather stripping, caulking, and low-flow shower heads at no charge. Nearly 450,000 low-income households have received energy efficient upgrades over the past five years. The new pilot program will support ESA’s ability to assist customers by addressing issues such as asbestos removal, knob-and-tube wiring, or plumbing problems which would otherwise be an impediment to making ESA program upgrades. Photos of the event are available here.

"SoCalGas wants to help qualified customers with these energy-saving upgrades, but they can’t be completed in homes that have issues like old wiring, missing outlets or structural problems,” said Dan Rendler, director of customer programs and assistance at SoCalGas. “This new pilot program uses external, federal funding to have contractors fix these problems and then complete the energy saving upgrades. This will improve living conditions, reduce customer bills, and save energy and water.”

“We’re thrilled to pilot this new program,” said South Gate Mayor Maria Bernal. “It will make South Gate homes not only more energy-efficient, but also safer for those who do not have the money to make these improvements. Removing asbestos and old wiring or correcting structural issues will improve safety, in addition to helping our residents use less energy and save money.”

“Without this new program, contractors have to stop their work when a ‘condition’ like knob-and-tube wiring in the attic gets in the way of installing energy-efficient upgrades like attic insulation,” said Matthew Clark, vice president of business development at Synergy Companies, a SoCalGas contractor that installs insulation and other energy-saving materials. “The benefit of this program is it will remove the barriers that stand in the way for more homes to receive the safety, comfort, and money-saving improvements the ESA program offers.”

The pilot program will use eligible Community Development Block Grant funding supplied by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and administered locally by the City of South Gate.  While ESA program enrollment and support is available for customers on an ongoing basis, the pilot program will last for a limited time only while funds remain available. Single-family South Gate homes that are owner-occupied, or multi-family homes no larger than four units with one unit owner-occupied may be eligible under the new pilot program.

To qualify for the new pilot program, SoCalGas customers must be eligible for ESA program enrollment.  Customers may qualify for ESA energy-saving upgrades if their household income is below certain guidelines or if a member of the household currently receives benefits from public assistance programs like Medi-Cal/Medicaid, CalFresh, or other similar programs.

Customers can learn more and apply online to enroll in the ESA program by visiting socalgas.com/improvements or by calling (800) 331-7593.

SoCalGas is a leader in energy conservation, helping to keep natural gas bills affordable for customers and protecting the environment. Since 1990, the company’s energy efficiency and rebate programs have helped families and businesses save approximately $672 million on their natural gas bills and reduced emissions equal to taking almost 700,000 cars off the road.

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About SoCalGas

Headquartered in Los Angeles, SoCalGas® is the largest natural gas distribution utility in the United States, providing clean, safe, affordable and reliable natural gas service to 21.7 million customers in Central and Southern California. Its service territory spans 22,000 square miles from Fresno to the Mexican border, reaching more than 550 communities through 5.9 million meters and 101,000 miles of pipeline. More than 90 percent of Southern California single-family home residents use natural gas for home heat and hot water. In addition, natural gas plays a key role in providing electricity to Californians—about 60 percent of electric power generated in the state comes from gas-fired power plants.  

SoCalGas has served communities in California for 150 years and is committed to being a leader in the region’s clean energy future. The company is working to accelerate the use of renewable natural gas, a carbon-neutral or carbon-negative fuel created by capturing and conditioning greenhouse gas emissions from farms, landfills and wastewater treatment plants. SoCalGas is a subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), a Fortune 500 energy services holding company based in San Diego. For more information visit socalgas.com/newsroom or connect with SoCalGas on Twitter (@SoCalGas), Instagram (@SoCalGas) and Facebook. 

About South Gate

Located in the heart of the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area, the City of South Gate is a busy, urban community consisting of residential, commercial, and industrial development spread over 7.4 square miles. It currently ranks as the 73rd largest city in California and 17th largest in Los Angeles County with a population of 98,633. South Gate is known for its outstanding city services, remarkable parks and recreation facilities, and family-friendly environment.