Indicia Consulting
CAL-THRIVES
(California Toolkit for Heat Resiliency in Vulnerable Environment)

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Funded by California Strategic Growth Council

Project Description

This interdisciplinary research will help disadvantaged communities withstand increasingly extreme heat brought on by climate change, while concurrently reducing greenhouse gas emissions from air conditioning energy use. The research team will collect data and develop strategies in two DACs located in Fresno, focusing on both single-family and multi-family residences. This pilot study aims to develop a Cooling Resilience Toolkit based on community outreach and analysis of adaptation strategies available and amenable to DACs. This toolkit can be applied to other communities throughout California. Indicia Consulting will work with LBNL to accomplish the research goals by collecting data in the field through survey approaches, such as interviews and focus groups discussions; providing inputs to the LBNL proposed strategies and technology measures for the toolkit; and providing inputs in the assessments of these strategies in terms of economic and technical feasibility, as required by LBNL. Indicia Consulting will work with other team members by providing inputs in community outreach efforts to identify residents' needs, priorities, concerns, and the barriers to greater safety during heat waves. Working with LBNL, Indicia will identify barriers to greater usage of cooling centers through focus groups and interviews with cooling center staff and observe cooling center operations during a heat event.

Project Details

Date: March 2019-2021
Client: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Funded by California Strategic Growth Council
Location: Fresno, CA
Link: https://energyanalysis.lbl.gov/cal-thrives/