Convening the Sierra – Fall 2026
September 25, 2026
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Join SBC at these Upcoming Events Across the Region
Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E)’s GK-12 program, offers low-cost heat pump water heater (HPWH) retrofits for K-12 Local Education Agencies (LEAs). High schools and unified school districts with gyms and pools are the top priority for these projects due to their cost-effectiveness, some of which may be available at no-cost. However, having a pool isn’t a requirement. Other potential projects, ranked by effectiveness behind gyms and pools, include:
Sierra Business Council’s Sierra Nevada Energy Watch (SNEW) program facilitated a recent project with Willdan to provide HPWHs to the Nevada Joint Union High School District (NJUHSD). The project included replacing old natural gas water heaters with four HPWH at the Nevada Union High School which resulted in total savings of 28,590 therms per year and 302 metric tons of CO2e per year. Additionally, three tankless natural gas water heaters were installed across the Silver Springs High School and Nevada Union High School, leading to 2,994 therms per year saved and a reduction of 32 metric tons of CO2e per year. In total, with these installations the GK-12 program was able to cover $95,643 in costs for the NJUHSD.
If your LEA is interested in pursuing this opportunity, please don’t hesitate to reach out to get started. You can either email us at snew@sierrabusiness.org or call 530-214-3836. We hope to hear from you soon!
Join SBC at these Upcoming Events Across the Region
Two SNEW services that are often requested by Sierra Nevada public agencies are energy benchmarking (sometimes including AB 802 reporting for buildings
California’s 2026-27 legislative session wrapped up September 1 after a turbulent final week of negotiations over wildfire policy, funding, and the state budget. While a last-minute proposal on wildfire liability ultimately stalled, the Legislature did restore and increase funding for climate resilience through Proposition 4 and the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF)—a meaningful outcome for Sierra communities amid a challenging state budget year.
The final plan includes $329.5 million for wildfire and forest resilience through Prop 4 and $118 million for wildfire prevention through GGRF. While these investments are an improvement over the June budget, wildfire resilience funding remains near historic lows, with no clear plan for sustained investment in future years.
Read more about the final budget, Prop 4 and GGRF allocations, and what’s next for wildfire and climate resilience in the Sierra.