Developing Targeted, Inclusive Marketing and Educational Materials for Equitable Electrification
October 23, 2024
New Quick Start Grant Report
Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and low-to-moderate income communities experience disproportionately greater environmental, economic, health, and social impacts of climate change. At the same time, they also have far less access to electrification technologies that offer health, comfort, and cost-savings to protect against these effects compared with other communities. Current city, state, and utility messaging on electrification and climate change often fail to consider the background and context of underserved communities.
The Diversity Coalition Quick Start Grant project’s objective was to understand what it takes to increase awareness and pave the way for heat pump adoption and electrification in historically underserved communities, with the goal of informing future equity-focused education and outreach campaigns. Without tailored messaging and outreach strategies, these communities remain at risk of being left behind in the energy transition, which perpetuates historical injustices despite the best intentions of programs designed to serve them.
The Diversity Coalition, a trusted community-based organization, engaged with BIPOC and low-income residents in the San Luis Obispo community. By understanding residents’ needs around electrification, the team can develop messaging and outreach strategies that more clearly resonate with residents and build trust.
The outcome is an increased awareness of bill reduction strategies, electrification benefits, and incentives available to community members. And, increasing access to electrification and energy efficiency programs can reduce peak electricity use and encourage more electrification within the community. The long-term outcome is expected to be a higher adoption rate of heat pumps among BIPOC and low-to-moderate income communities, contributing to greater equity in clean energy adoption across California.
The TECH Clean California initiative is funded by California ratepayers and taxpayers and administered by Southern California Edison Company under the auspices of the California Public Utilities Commission. The TECH Clean California team is led by Energy Solutions and partners with Anchor Blue Consulting, Ardenna Energy, Association of Energy Affordability, Building Decarbonization Coalition, Central Coast Energy Services, Inc., Electrify My Home, Frontier Energy, National Comfort Institute, Energy Outlet, Recurve Analytics, The Ortiz Group, Tre’ Laine Associates, and VEIC.