Energy Conservation

California regulators Thursday lowered the bar for an energy-efficiency program to allow utilities to earn about $89 million in customer-funded incentives for achieving as little as 65% of the power savings goals laid out for them. The California Public Utilities Commission also ruled that utilities could keep such incentives awarded to them even if a subsequent audit showed that the companies did not achieve the savings they reported.

How many city officials does it take to change the lightbulbs? Too few, apparently, have dedicated themselves to the task. Los Angeles Controller Laura Chick issued an audit Monday of energy conservation -- or the lack thereof -- in the city's offices, police and fire stations, libraries and senior citizens centers, and declared that the city's 12-year-old program to cut back on electricity use needs "a complete overhaul."

Berkeley and Palm Desert may be poles apart when it comes to politics. But the two cities are pioneering a new path to solar energy. Pushed by these unlikely municipal bedfellows, California on Monday enacted a law that allows cities and counties to make low-interest loans to homeowners and businesses to install solar panels, high-efficiency air conditioners and other energy-saving improvements. Participants can pay back the loans over decades through property taxes.

Southern California Gas Co. and San Diego Gas & Electric Co. have $5 million apiece burning a hole in their pockets that they want to lend, at no cost, to small businesses to buy energy-efficient equipment.

CB Richard Ellis Group Inc. said it would go "carbon neutral" by 2010 -- cutting its creation of greenhouse gases to virtually nothing by reducing energy use and, if necessary, buying carbon offsets. The National Resources Defense Council said the El Segundo-based company was the first major commercial real estate services company to declare its commitment to environmentally friendly practices meant to reduce global warming.

Hoping to avoid the rolling blackouts that plagued Southern California last year, Los Angeles officials said Thursday they are far better prepared for more record heat this summer, but they implored residents to conserve energy. Since last summer, the Department of Water and Power has spent more than $13.5 million replacing or repairing 3,000 faulty electrical transformers around the city, including the 303 responsible for power outages last July, officials said.

State regulators Thursday proposed a $2.2-billion energy-efficiency initiative that for the first time would give utilities bonuses or assess penalties based on how much energy their programs saved over a three-year period. The proposal by the California Public Utilities Commission would fund measures such as rebates for power-saving appliances and efficient lighting. They would be paid for by customers of Pacific Gas & Electric Co., Southern California Edison Co., San Diego Gas & Electric Co.

No, it's not easy being green, least of all for Hollywood A-listers living in jaw-dropping decadence. Solar panels on a 50,000-square-foot manse in Malibu just don't scream "Live simply!" Ditto hopping onto a private plane to get to the Live Earth concert. Of course, celebrities don't let their lavish lifestyles stop them from preaching to the rest of us about temperance. Eco-friendly living isn't about great sacrifice, they contend, it's about making small but powerful changes.

"An ideal green celebrity lifestyle would see to avoid conspicuous consumption, elitism and activities detrimental to the environment made possible only by their wealth. It must be noted that 2 billion people live on one or two dollars a day, and that inequities in wealth are at an all-time high.

"It's all about the choices you have to make. Unfortunately, celebrities have different choices. For a celebrity to give up a dream home -- it's not really a feasible option. . . . You have to pick and choose and then fess up. I'm not trying to present green like medicine. I'm trying to put a big heaping spoon of sugar on top of it. It's not only a better solution, it's a more ecological solution."