Using low-income energy programs to help reduce water use in what the California Public Utilities Commission calls a “water-energy nexus,” regulators Aug. 14 closed out outstanding issues in its California Alternate Rates for Energy program and the Energy Savings Assistance Plan. “We’re asking utilities to think out of the box and coordinate with other [governments] and water providers,” said commissioner Catherine Sandoval. The savings assistance program is an efficiency “gateway,” which can include making water heaters more efficient “to allow people not to waste so much water while they wait for it to get hot,” she added. The decision aims to increase the “comfort of low-income” consumers and “expand their participation,” commissioner Mike Florio said. The ruling follows up on a 2012 decision to invest $4 billion to support alternate low income rates, and $1 billion in the assistance plan. The efficiency issues refined in this week’s decision include: • Developing a multifamily strategy for the efficiency program; • Reviewing energy assistance cost-effectiveness for past work; and • Examining pilot programs, such as high-efficiency area furnaces. Regulators also approved utilities’ requested budget increases for the plan’s implementation as follows: • SoCal Gas, $38 million; • San Diego Gas & Electric $3.7 million; and • Southern California Edison, $19 million. While the issues entailed in the efficiency impacts of subsidized rates are technical, there’s a great deal of interest in them. Twenty community-based organizations, including La Cooperativa De Campesina, the Black Economic Council, and the California Housing Partnership Corp. were involved for their constituents. For instance, the latter promotes multi-family housing for low-income customers.