Thanks to a 30-year-old program developed by Pacific Gas and Electric Company, books aren’t the only items you can check out of a library. California customers and professionals working on energy efficiency projects can “check out” a wide range of energy and building measurement tools free of charge.
The PG&E Energy Centers Tool Lending Library opened in late 1993, and by 2011, the utility was loaning more than 13,000 tools per year. Though the lending volume has decreased since then due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors, company officials are eager to match their maximum loan volume in the future.
“In the beginning, we served mostly building science projects, but we are increasingly supporting more industrial and agricultural borrowers to help them operate more efficiently and qualify for energy efficiency incentives and funding assistance,” Mary Lucas McDonald, Energy Centers senior specialist, told American Gas.
The library is extensive, offering 400 different types of tools and more than 5,000 tools in all. “We functionally test much of our equipment in-house to ensure that it is performing as designed, and other equipment is regularly calibrated by outside vendors who are certified by the National Institute of Standards and Technology,” McDonald said.
According to McDonald, energy promotion teams talk up the program to customers seeking incentives for the implementation of energy efficiency measures or those looking to achieve energy savings through the utility’s Strategic Energy Management programs. Other uses are mostly promoted by word of mouth.
For utilities considering implementing a similar program, McDonald recommends being familiar with all aspects of the rental and usage processes.
“Be familiar with the applications and operation of your equipment to help the borrower receive the right equipment for the project and to assist them with any technical difficulties during deployment,” she said. “We provide application notes detailing the use of some of our more complicated equipment and offer tutorials in equipment use as well as phone support.”
After three decades, the library has become an important part of California’s energy efficiency landscape.
“Our borrowers are overwhelmingly satisfied,” McDonald said. “They commonly comment that they can’t believe such a service is available for free.”