This fall, the Institute for Local Government (ILG) recognized the City of Palmdale for its commitment to renewable energy and sustainability by awarding the City three Platinum Beacon awards. Palmdale’s recognition is well-deserved, as the City has taken meaningful steps to increase its clean power options. Namely, they launched a new CCA program, Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice (EPIC) in October 2022. The California Choice Energy Authority (CalChoice) is proud to call EPIC our newest associate member as the program already is impacting the community.

Every year, ILG’s Beacon Program recognizes municipal agencies for achievements in sustainability, energy savings and greenhouse gas reduction. The Beacon Program gives three different awards annually; each features multiple tiers that range from Platinum to Silver in recognition of all achievements that promote sustainability and energy savings.

Palmdale triumphed among this year’s Beacon winners, winning three Platinum Level awards. Platinum is ILG’s most prestigious award, given to candidates who meet a minimum requirement of 20% in energy savings. The first of Palmdale’s three Platinum Level awards represented 43% Agency Energy Savings. The second award recognized 46% Agency Natural Gas Savings. Finally, the City was recognized with a third Platinum Level award for Sustainability Best Practices.

“Maintenance did a lot of the heavy lifting for the energy and natural gas savings to help us more than double the requirement for the Platinum Level awards,” noted Benjamin Lucha, Palmdale’s Innovation and Environmental Manager. “Additionally, the Southern California Energy Network (SoCalREN) helped with making our efficiency projects a reality.”

“CalChoice applauds the work that Palmdale has done to make their community a more sustainable place, including the milestone of launching EPIC this fall,” said Jason Caudle, Executive Director of CalChoice. “We look forward to watching Palmdale’s CCA program continue to flourish and hit new milestones in the future.”