Custom Initiative

The 2024 Custom Initiative Brief is a 1-page summary of the Cal TF Custom Initiative and six core solutions.

Cal TF Staff launched the Custom Initiative to increase savings from custom projects. Traditionally a cornerstone of the EE portfolio, Custom project activity and savings have plummeted in recent years. Extensive stakeholder feedback and Cal TF Staff analysis identified critical challenges inhibiting custom program success, including:

  • Unclear, out-of-date, dispersed, unavailable, and inconsistent requirements and guidance

  • Extensive, time-consuming, and duplicative documentation requirements

  • Lengthy, costly, and uncertain project review timelines

  • Multiple and inconsistent influence and attribution assessments (even for a single project)

Custom Initiative Solutions

Cal TF Staff worked with Custom Stakeholders to identify and develop custom tools and resources to support statewide consistency, transparency, certainty, and cost-efficiency:

  • Custom Rulebook: All rules and processes governing custom measures in a single, clear, accessible, organized, up-to-date document that is easy to understand, navigate, and maintain.

  • Custom Resource Library provides all relevant source materials in one place, easy to find.

  • Custom Tool Library: Accessible library of TF-affirmed calculation tools to support accurate and consistent measure and project development and to support streamlined quality control. See Custom Tools page for more information.

  • Custom Measure Library and Custom Measure Guidance (CMG): TF-affirmed, measure-specific guidance on eligibility, technical methods, data requirements, and tools to support accurate and consistent measure development and review for common custom measures. CMG methods and materials are developed by Cal TF Working Groups. See Custom Tools page for more information.

  • Baseline Library: Complete, organized, up-to-date, and accessible repository of baseline data that custom stakeholders can use to develop and review custom measures. See Custom Tools page for more information.

  • Custom Project Documentation Templates: Streamlined, statewide templates for project development and review will clarify data and documentation requirements, support complete and organized project submittals, and streamline quality control and review. [IN DEVELOPMENT]

  • Customer Influence Templates: Simplified, statewide influence templates will provide clear, consistent, balanced methods to assess free ridership. Furthermore, Cal TF Staff recommends that free ridership be assessed only once for each project. [IN DEVELOPMENT]

Cal TF Custom Subcommittee

Custom Initiative activities are conducted through the Custom Subcommittee and Custom Measure Working Groups, with draft work products brought to the Technical Forum for review and affirmation. The Custom Subcommittee meets on the 1st Wednesday of the month and hosts resources and working documents on the Cal TF Custom Initiative SharePoint Site.

Email caltf@futee.biz to join the Custom Subcommittee and/or to access the Custom Initiative SharePoint site.

Custom Subcommittee Meeting Materials

Additional Background Materials