With SDG&E’s increasing rates and our current cold spell, San Diegans have every reason to keep their home energy efficient.  But trying to find a decent contractor and ensuring you qualify for those energy rebates can be a pain in the butt.

Luckily the California Energy Commission has released a tool to make the process easier.  The commission is touting Energy Upgrade California as your "one-stop shop for home energy upgrades."  Energy Upgrade California provides an educational component to help consumers decide which upgrades will serve them best.  From there you can search for energy incentives and find a credentialed contractor to do the job.  And this is all *gasp* interconnected in the same website.  Really, it’s impressive to see federal, state, local, and utility resources combine to serve the consumer.

We’re hoping this is going to knock out a few of the barriers that consumers face when considering energy upgrades.  First, you’re able to search for contractors with specific credentials, so you’re less likely to get a lemon contractor.  Second, we’re hoping that by connecting the rebate process with the project, consumers understand everything necessary to obtain their rebate.  And if nothing else, having all the necessary resources for your energy project in one spot will save you time and effort.

Even though the Energy Upgrade site lists credentialed contractors, it’s unclear if they’ve put their contractors through the rigorous check process that UCAN recommends.  Be sure to still follow our recommendations for choosing a contractor.