ACTION PLAYBOOK
Contact Your State Energy Office
Let’s take action.
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Urge your state to expand community solar access by applying for a Solar for All grant.
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Identify who to contact and find their contact info
Send an email
Make a phone call
Tag them on social media
Report back
Ask a friend to do it too
⚠️ Wait! A few states aren’t eligible for this grant. If you live in Florida, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, or Wyoming, skip to the Contact Your Local Officials playbook or use another state you have a connection to (hi, Mom!).
1. Identify who to contact and find their contact information
For this action, you’ll need email addresses, social media handles, and/or phone numbers for people who work at your state’s department of energy.
Check this database from the U.S. Department of Energy. Every state is structured differently and has a different name for its executive agencies. Find your state in the table and click the link to visit your state energy department’s website. Choose a drop-down below to find contact information.
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On your state energy office’s website, you should see a “Contact” page (here’s Hawaii’s as an example). Usually, you’ll see a generic email address and phone number—write those down and move on to the next step.
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Now that you know what your state energy office is called, you can try to find contact information for specific people who work there. This takes some digging, but it’s a more effective and direct way to reach the right decision-makers.
We’ll want to find someone who works relatively senior, but not so senior that they won’t respond to your message (i.e., not your state’s politically appointed chief energy officer or equivalent).
To do this, head over to LinkedIn and run a filtered search for people who work in your state’s energy office. Try to find titles that include financial assistance/grants and/or renewable energy. An example title might be “Manager, Renewable Energy Financing.” This method requires you to use your discretion in selecting the right people.
Once you have a name you’ll have to Google “[state energy office] + email format” to approximate their email address (unless it’s listed right there on their profile!). If your email bounces multiple times after guessing the address, you can either try another employee or resort to the generic contact email listed on the office’s website.
2. Send a personalized email to the energy office
Edit the template below in a blank email to the state energy office about applying for a Solar for All grant. You can use the same email copy for both, but send them separately. Please bcc advocacy@climatechangemakers.org so we can track our impact.
Make sure to customize the sections in brackets and carry over the links (they’re an important part of your message!), and save a copy of your email to use as a phone script. Then, return to this playbook.
Template below ⬇️ or click here to populate a new email
Please bcc advocacy@climatechangemakers.org so we can track our impact.
SUBJECT: Help expand solar access in our state
Dear [STATE ENERGY OFFICE],
My name is [NAME], and I live in [TOWN/CITY]. I am reaching out to bring your attention to an opportunity that holds immense potential for our state, particularly in disadvantaged communities. The EPA has launched a $7 billion "Solar for All" grant competition eligible to state, local, and Tribal governments, and it plans to make up to 60 awards.
This initiative aims to foster access to affordable, resilient, and clean solar energy for millions of low-income households across the nation. The competition aligns with our state's commitments to reducing energy costs for families and meeting our emissions targets [EDIT DEPENDING ON YOUR STATE’S CLIMATE GOALS].
The grant application deadline is October 12, 2023. It is of utmost importance that our state is not only prepared to apply, but is also geared toward optimizing this extraordinary opportunity. This program is guaranteed to lower electricity bills by at least 20% for our most disadvantaged constituents, contribute to a healthier environment, and catalyze job opportunities in the ever-expanding clean energy sector.
To truly maximize the impact of this opportunity, it is crucial that our state leverages the most rigorous best practices in low-income solar program design. This ensures that we can provide the greatest possible benefit to disadvantaged communities, promote widespread adoption of solar, and ultimately contribute to a more equitable clean energy future.
In this regard, I wanted to share a helpful compilation of resources that includes vital information about the grant, policy design guidebooks, and enlightening case studies that can inform our application and implementation strategy.
I appreciate your attention to this matter and look forward to seeing our state make progress on solar. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you’d like to discuss further.
Sincerely,
3. Make a call
Call the number(s) you found listed on the website. Use your email from Step 2 as a call script! You’ll want to mention where you live in the state, be concise and specific, and demonstrate authenticity. If they don’t pick up, don’t worry—your voicemail will be documented. (And if you prefer to leave a voicemail rather than talk to a real person, call after hours!)
4. Tag your state energy office on social media
Public amplification of your message can grab the attention of policymakers and elicit a response. Turn your personalized message into a social post, being sure to preserve the specific ask. Remember to tag their handles! If you can’t find a specific person’s handle, just tag the handle of the office.
If you’re stuck, check the Solar for All Issue Briefing for an example post.
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Letting others in your network know that you’ve taken action is a great way to scale your impact. Consider using social media, email, texting, etc. to amplify the action you just took and invite others to join you. If you’re in the Climate Changemakers Slack, post about your experience to help motivate others! Below is sample language you can adapt and customize:
I just contacted my state energy office about applying for a new solar energy grant. It’s really empowering and a lot more accessible than it seems. Here's the playbook! https://www.climatechangemakers.org/preview-state-energy-solar
5. Report back!
If you receive a response from your state energy office, please report back to advocacy@climatechangemakers.org or send a message to a staff member in the Climate Changemakers Slack. You can simply forward email responses or send a screenshot. This enables us to more accurately track our collective impact.
It's useful to learn of any barriers for your state. For example, the state might be reluctant to apply because they lack the staffing capacity to process the reporting requirements for federal grants (it’s a lot of work). Anything you learn from their response is valuable, so please report back! We’re trying to grease the wheels to deploying climate solutions, so the more we know, the more effective we can become as connectors and advocates.
Did you get an enthusiastic response from your state energy office? Awesome! Consider sharing your response publicly in the Climate Changemakers Slack #wins-and-shoutouts channel —other changemakers may find it motivating and inspiring. We’re normalizing civic action on climate, and it starts with talking about it.
6. Ask a friend to do it too
Network effects are powerful. Persuading friends and family to take climate action is a crucial step toward changing cultural norms and making real progress. Now that you’ve taken this action, send a note to a friend along with this playbook asking them to send an email or make a call to their state energy office. Simplify the process for them by forwarding your own email as a model and the contact information you found if they live in the same state. And if your friend ends up taking action, don’t forget to let us know! (See Step 5).