About
Green Homes California takes a holistic approach to greening single-family and multifamily housing in communities on the frontlines of climate change. Whether you are an owner, tenant, property manager, or community resident, we have the resources to help you plan, fund, and execute projects to lower utility costs and improve occupant health while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Green Homes Programs
We can help you access:
- EV charging stations
- Heat pump water heaters
- Heat pump HVAC equipment
- Induction cooktops
- Green technology pilot opportunities
Each property could receive:
- A whole building assessment
- Resident engagement in English and Spanish
- Enrollment assistance with utility programs and rebates
For direct access to our digital tools for residents, click the button below!
¡Para obtener más información sobre herramientas relevantes, presiona el botón!
Resources for Residents! Recursos para Residentes
Watch the info session on delivering building decarbonization at home!
Protect Your Home
Wildfire Home Hardening Assessment
Get practical, no-cost advice on how to protect your home from wildfire.
USGBC-CA’s Green Homes California program, in partnership with the Rivers & Mountains Conservancy (RMC), offers free, confidential wildfire assessments for homeowners in the RMC service area.
Versión en español disponible aquí
How Does it Work?
- Fill out our Interest Form!
- We come to you. Our Green Building Corps Ambassadors will meet you at your home for an outdoor walkthrough.
- We look for risks. We’ll check your defensible space and spots where fire can get in, like vents, roofing and decks.
- You get a plan. We’ll send you clear, actionable recommendations to reduce your home’s fire risk.
Why Sign Up?
- It’s free. There is no cost to you.
- You protect your home and neighbors. A safer home makes for a safer community.
- You support local jobs. Our Ambassadors are paid workforce trainees. Your visit gives them real field experience so they can help more families.
Who Can Sign Up?
Homeowners with property in the RMC service area. View the map.
Not sure if you qualify? Fill out the Interest Form, and we’ll check for you. We hope to expand to more areas in the future.
*Your Privacy Comes First. USGBC-CA is a nonprofit, not a government agency. This is a supportive service, not an official inspection.
*Your information stays confidential. We never share your assessment with agencies, organizations, or insurance companies.
Digital Tools
Menu of Efficiency & Electrification for Multifamily Properties
Explore our Menu of Efficiency & Electrification for tips on optimizing operations and decarbonizing multifamily buildings. Three pathways offer cost-saving project ideas for owners and managers, with rebates and incentives. To learn how to navigate the menu, watch this tutorial video!
Explore more digital tools in the dropdown menu below!
This interactive map by Constellation (formerly Dynamhex) predicts sources of greenhouse gas emissions within a building portfolio and identifies the most effective upgrades for reducing emissions and operational costs.
Incentivize offers our community a free, user-friendly tool that calculates federal, state, local, and utility programs available to your household to purchase a new or used electric vehicle and charger of your choice.
QuitCarbon is a tool to help you upgrade your home for reduced carbon emissions, lower utility bills, and improved safety and comfort by connecting you with vetted local contractors.
* If you use this link to sign up or mention USGBC California during the process, we may receive a commission to directly support our programs!
Toolkits
Save money on utility costs with low-to-no-cost tips while also creating healthier living spaces. Both tenants and homeowners will find some great advice here!
Ahorra dinero en facturas, con tips para acciones de bajo costo o sin costo mientras haces tu espacio más saludable.¡Propietarios e inquilinos encontrarán buenos consejos aquí!
USGBC California’s Five Principles of Healthy Buildings provide any building resident with a framework for increasing occupant health and creating resilient spaces to live, work, and play.
Join the Healthy Building Commitment!
Los Cinco Principios de Edificios Saludables de USGBC California proporcionan a los residentes de edificios un marco para aumentar la salud de los ocupantes y crear espacios resilientes para vivir, trabajar y jugar.
Check out our toolkit of resources developed under the Green Affordable Housing Program to engage multifamily building owners, managers, and residents around efficiency, electrification, occupant health, and community resilience.
Privately-owned buildings in the City of Los Angeles, with an area exceeding 20,000 square feet, must comply with the Existing Buildings Energy and Water Efficiency (EBEWE) Ordinance.
Case Studies
Multifamily Engagement and Pipeline Development
Under a Community Emissions Reduction Grant from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), USGBC-CA targeted multifamily buildings with an average of twenty (20) or more units in the Eastern San Fernando Valley from 2021 through 2024 through the Green Affordable Housing Program, provided project funding for EV charging, energy efficiency pilots, resident engagement, and other resources.
This case study demonstrates a holistic approach to engaging with multifamily buildings that can be further leveraged to increase access to energy savings resources in disadvantaged communities, both for building owners and residents.
USGBC-CA’s resident engagement sessions not only raised awareness about climate change and sustainability but also empowered residents to take actionable steps to lower their bills and reflect on their emissions to reduce their environmental impact. Making resources more accessible helped bridge a gap between residents and the programs designed to support them.
USGBC-CA launched its Green Homes California initiative to scale a holistic approach first piloted through the Green Affordable Housing Program, by partnering with multifamily property owners and managers, contractors, service providers, and residents to bring resources for efficiency and electrification into communities on the frontlines of climate change.
Electrifying the Green Affordable Housing Program
Under a Quick Start Grant from TECH Clean California, USGBC-CA replaced gas space and water heating systems with heat pumps in multifamily properties in the Eastern San Fernando Valley.
USGBC-CA assessed the feasibility of retrofitting both gas-powered HVAC and water heating systems to heat pump models at a condominium complex, ultimately installing three (3) heat pump water heaters (HPWHs).
USGBC-CA replaced inefficient and aging gas wall furnaces for heating and through-the-wall PTAC units for cooling with heat pump units that could fit into the existing PTAC openings in a former motel converted to multifamily apartments.
USGBC-CA identified the opportunity to replace inefficient and aging rooftop AC cooling units with internal gas furnaces for heating (AKA, “Gas Pack RTUs”) with heat pump models that could fit onto the existing rooftop ductwork of a multifamily property.
Climate Resolve evaluated heat pump retrofits completed by USGBC-CA in sixteen (16) Wilmington and San Pedro residences by developing a greenhouse gas (GHG) life cycle analysis (LCA) Excel tool to compare conventional/ natural gas fueled water heating and HVAC systems to TECH-qualified heat pump systems.
From August 2023 through August 2024, USGBC-CA engaged residents of Wilmington and San Pedro through a series of tabling sessions, community meetings, and direct outreach activities, collecting 58 survey responses to gauge attitudes and awareness around electrification.
USGBC-CA performed pre-electrification upgrades and replaced an aging gas tank water heater and gravity wall furnace with a heat pump water heater and mini split heat pump HVAC system in August 2024, both at no cost to the property owner.
Utility Programs, Rebates, and Incentives
BuildSMART Sustainable Materials and Resources Trailer
Calling manufacturers and vendors to showcase their sustainable products!
USGBC California (USGBC-CA) has launched the BuildSMART Trailer Tour, a first-of-its-kind education initiative that provides a mobile, hands-on experience for community members to engage with innovative technologies, sustainable building materials, and energy-saving programs. In addition to showcasing over 80 green building materials and energy efficiency solutions, the BuildSMART Trailer emphasizes the importance of awareness and accessibility to resources in communities disproportionately affected by climate change.
Learn more about the BuildSMART Trailer!
Volunteer to help us bring sustainability education to our community!
Press and Media
- Article (January 13, 2026) – Families from highly contaminated neighborhoods receive gas-free home electric systems (CALÓ News)
- Report (August 18, 2025) – Quick Start, Lasting Impact: Lessons from the TECH Clean California Quick Start Grant Program (TECH Clean California)
- Report (May 29, 2025) – Room Heat Pumps Self-Installation Practices Strategy Pilot Report Findings Now Available (CalMTA)
- Report (March 19, 2025) – Scaling Heat Pump Retrofits in Housing with Cost Barriers (TECH Clean California)
- Report (May, 30, 2024) – Electrifying the Green Affordable Housing Program (TECH Clean California)
- Press Release (April 30, 2024) – USGBC-CA and the LADWP Launch the BuildSMART Trailer Tour
- Blog (April 16, 2024) – Incentivize’s Rebate Calculator Makes California Debut via Pilot Program with USGBC California
- Press Release (Sept. 29, 2023) – USGBC-LA and Harbor Community Benefit Foundation Launch the ‘Healthy Homes for Wilmington’ Program
- Press Release (Sept. 30, 2022) – U.S. Green Building Council-L.A. Creates Multi-Pronged Approach to Create Green Homes for Residents, Property Owners
- Press Release (Mar. 2, 2021) – USGBC-LA Announces Green Affordable Housing Program, Tackling LA’s Most Challenging Buildings
Program Supporters
Service & Technology Partners
Interested in volunteering as a speaker?
Submit an application to join our Speakers Bureau!
