Building Initiative for Low-Emissions Development Program - BUILD

The BUILD Program Fact Sheet provides a quick overview of program requirements and incentive opportunities. The Technical Assistance Fact Sheet outlines the technical assistance services available. The Technology Kicker Incentive Fact Sheets detail optional all-electric technologies that further reduce greenhouse gas emissions. See the Electrification FAQ to learn why developers are making the switch to all-electric and the Heat Pump Overview for key information on the benefits of heat pump technology. To maximize project funding opportunities review the Incentive Layering Overview. Read the Fair Haven Commons Case Study to learn how BUILD incentives can offset construction costs to build an all-electric affordable housing.

In addition, please take some time to review the Electrification Knowledge Hub which offers comprehensive education and exclusive training on electric market transformation opportunities delivered by industry experts.

Technical Assistance

Get started with BUILD by applying for no-cost technical assistance! This optional first step offers up to 300 free hours of support to design low-income all-electric residential buildings. BUILD technical experts can help you apply for BUILD incentives, advise on fuel-switching, improve your project’s energy efficiency, and provide guidance for installing low-emissions technology.

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Incentives

BUILD incentives are designed to support market transformation toward building decarbonization and reduce the up-front costs and perceived risk of adopting new technologies. Learn about the incentives and eligibility requirements.

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Announcements

BUILD Program Guidelines Second Edition, Publication #CEC-300-2024-022 (Adopted, February 12, 2025)
Notice of Availability of the Proposed Final BUILD Program Guidelines, Second Edition and Notice of Proposed Adoption.
- Proposed Final BUILD Program Guidelines Second Edition, Publication # CEC-300-2024-022
Notice of Availability and Opportunity to Comment on the BUILD Draft Guidelines, Second Edition – Comment response deadline is December 3, 2024
Notice of Availability and Proposed Final BUILD Guidelines (Revised) – To be presented at the February 16, 2022, Business Meeting (*Please note all proposed guideline revisions are summarized in the Notice of Availability).
Notice of Availability and Request for Comments for the Proposed Final BUILD Guidelines - Comment response deadline is January 31, 2022.
BUILD Draft Program Guidelines Public Comment Period requires comment submittals to the BUILD Docket by 5:00 PM on December 15, 2021 at Submit e-Comment (20-DECARB-01)
October 25, 2021: BUILD Program Technical Assistance Provider Contract approved
September 15, 2021: BUILD Program’s Preliminary Program Design

Legislation

Senate Bill 1477 (Stern, Chapter 378, Statutes 2018), authorizes the Building Initiative for Low Emissions Development (BUILD) Program.

Program Development

Senate Bill 1477 (Stern, Chapter 378, Statutes 2018) directed the establishment of two building decarbonization initiatives and charged the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) for implementation, upon which the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) initiated Rulemaking R-19-01-011 in January 2019. During the rulemaking, staff from the CPUC and the California Energy Commission (CEC) recommended in a joint Staff Proposal the CEC as administrator for the Building Initiative for Low-Emissions Development (BUILD) Program.

On March 26, 2020, the CPUC adopted Decision D. 20-03-027 for the creation of two new pilot programs: the BUILD Program, to be administered by the CEC and provide incentives for the deployment of near-zero-emission building technologies in new low-income residential housing, and the Technology and Equipment for Clean Heating (TECH) Initiative, to be administered by Southern California Edison. The CPUC oversees both programs.

In September 2020, CEC Staff submitted the BUILD Program Implementation Plan (revised) to the CPUC. The Implementation Plan outlined program design on eligibility, incentive structure, criteria for scoring and selecting projects, eligible technologies and process for evaluating new technologies, bill savings methodology, technical assistance, and outreach. On April 15, 2021, CPUC Resolution E-5116  approved the CEC’s BUILD Program Implementation Plan and established the submission process for the BUILD Program Guidelines to the CPUC. The latest version of the BUILD Program Implementation Plan, the BUILD Implementation Plan – 2024 Update is now available.

On September 15, 2021, CEC staff introduced a preliminary program design for stakeholder feedback. Subsequently, Draft Program Guidelines were developed and made available to the public on December 1, 2021. After the consideration of stakeholder comments, Final Proposed Guidelines were provided to the public for additional feedback. The Final Guidelines, First Edition, were approved by the CEC on February 16, 2022 and approved by the CPUC on February 28, 2022, in accordance with the process specified in CPUC Resolution E-5116.

After over a year of program implementation, CEC staff began developing the BUILD Program Guidelines, Second Edition based on stakeholder feedback and program need. The guideline revisions focus primarily on increasing participation, accommodating projects in jurisdictions without virtual net energy metering, ensuring incentive calculation accuracy and updating equipment requirements to align with 2022 Energy Code and industry trends. By November 14, 2025, the Notice of Availability for the Draft Program Guidelines, Second Edition were posted to the docket. On November 19, 2024, CEC hosted a public workshop to present the Draft Program Guidelines, Second Edition for review and comment. Based on additional feedback the Proposed Final BUILD Program Guidelines, Second Edition were adopted by the CEC on February 12, 2025, and approved by the CPUC on March 10, 2025.

Notices and Documents