As a supervisor in California Public Utilities Commission’s Energy Division, Alison was responsible for income qualified residential customer programs including the Energy Savings Assistance Program (or weatherization and replacing appliances with energy efficient equipment to save energy in homes) and utility energy bill discount programs. Specifically, she advised decision makers (Commissioners and Judges) on budget and program design for the 2021-2026 program years. The outcome was a policy shift from treating all willing and eligible income qualified customer homes with basic energy efficiency upgrades, to prioritizing delivering deeper treatment and energy savings for customers in the greatest need. The switch to this design centered around more meaningful benefit to fewer customers came after a long process of stakeholder engagement, presenting options reflecting diverse stakeholder perspectives for decision-makers, and improving transparency to stakeholders. 

The decision-making process involved multiple stakeholder meetings to hear perspectives from advocacy organizations for low income residential customers, contractors providing the weatherization services and employing local workforce, utilities running the programs, and environmental conservation non-profit organizations.  Alison represented CPUC at energy breakout sessions at a February 2021 workshop to inform revisions to CPUC’s Environmental and Social Justice action plan. These breakouts provided Alison a critical lens into the direct customer experience from residential customers that had received these program treatments. Alison then worked with utilities to ensure that the contractors shared with the customer, before they invested their time and opened their homes, which home improvements are and are not covered by the programs. Furthermore, to avoid customers’ expectations being unmet, service providers were asked to explain upfront the potential that some improvements, while covered, may still not be installed in their homes for other reasons (e.g. homes not up to a building code necessary, and thus would require costly upgrades before receiving treatment).