BayREN’s 2025 Success and Its 2028–2035 Plan for Climate, Communities, and Health
BayREN recently marked two significant milestones that reflect both the success of its current work and the direction of its regional energy leadership. In April, BayREN released its 2025 Annual Report: Designed for People, Powered by Local Solutions, which documents program implementation, outcomes, and community benefitsachieved across the Bay Area during the year. BayREN also submitted its proposed 2028–2035 Business Plan to the California Public Utilities Commission in March, outlining a portfolio of future programs and partnerships to expand climate, health, and energy affordability solutions. Together, these documents reflect BayREN’s focus on providing measurable outcomes today while planning for equitable impact in the years ahead.
The 2025 Annual Report demonstrates how BayREN’s unique governance model continues to deliver results by remaining grounded in local priorities. In 2025, BayREN soft-launched the new BayREN Refrigerant Replacement Program, which supports small businesses in replacing harmful refrigerants with environmentally friendly alternatives. BayREN also launched Efficiency and Sustainable Energy (EASE) Home, a redesigned single-family program that offers direct installation of energy efficiency, weatherization, and health and safety upgrades for income-qualified households. Key highlights across BayREN programs in 2025 include upgrades to more than 5,000 homes, 58 trainings serving over 1,100 attendees, and assistance provided to 78 local governments. Collectively, BayREN programs have delivered 4.6 million MMBtu of lifecycle net energy savings and avoided 296 million metric tons of CO2e since 2013.
“A key strength of BayREN’s model is its partnerships with local governments. County members, working with their communities, collaborate in shaping outreach, identifying community needs, and ensuring programs reflect local priorities. This locally driven approach allows BayREN to pilot innovative solutions, refine them through real-world feedback, and scale what works across the region.”
As a result of these partnerships, BayREN improves program implementation, contributes to climate and energy efficiency efforts, and addresses energy affordability for community members. BayREN also helps local governments leverage other funding sources to improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as over $1.6 million for farmworker housing in Santa Clara County.
This strong foundation of collaboration and performance informs BayREN’s vision for the future. Building on the successes documented in the 2025 Annual Report, BayREN’s 2028–2035 Business Plan outlines a proposed portfolio of 10 regional programs and one statewide program, expanded workforce education and training initiatives, and new opportunities for local governments and community-based organizations to pilot community-designed energy solutions. Developed through extensive stakeholder engagement, the Business Plan prioritizes equity, resilience, and health, with 66% of the proposed budget dedicated to households and communities that have historically faced barriers to participation. Together, BayREN’s recent accomplishments and forward-looking strategy position the region to continue scaling innovative, locally rooted energy and climate solutions.
