CalNext_Program — The Ortiz Group

Program: CalNEXT

CalNEXT Key Goals & Wins

CalNEXT is California’s statewide emerging technology program focused on identifying, testing, and advancing promising electric technologies / delivery strategies that can support a cleaner and more equitable energy future. The program evaluates innovations across HVAC, water heating, lighting, plug loads, process loads, appliances, and whole-building applications, with the goal of helping promising technologies move from early research and pilot activity toward broader market adoption.

CalNEXT works with California’s Investor-Owned Utilities (IOUs), program implementers, manufacturers, contractors, researchers, and community-based organizations (CBOs to best understand market barriers, and share lessons that can inform future utility programs, policy, and market strategies.

Key Goals

Advance promising electric technologies: Evaluate and support technologies that can help California transition toward a carbon-free energy future.

Support market readiness: Conduct studies, pilots, and research to assess performance/cost-effectiveness/ and scalability.

Inform future utility programs: Share findings & recommendations and recommendations with IOUs, implementers, and policymakers to support future program designs.

Center equity in innovation: Ensure that Disadvantaged Communities (DACs), Hard-to-Reach (HTR) customers, rural communities, tribal communities, and other underserved populations are considered in emerging technology research and pilot design.

Guide investment through Technology Priority Maps: Maintain and refine Technology Priority Maps across key technology areas, so program priorities evolve with market and policy needs.

Key Wins

Refreshed the DAC & HTR scoring template: Improved the consistency and strength of equity-focused evaluation in CalNEXT project selection.

Supported Technology Priority Map updates: Supported updates across Water Heating, HVAC/Whole Building, Lighting, Plug Loads & Appliances, Process Loads, and Portfolio Enhancements.

Proposed three new 2026 project concepts: Advanced new ideas intended to deliver measurable benefits to DAC and HTR communities.

The Ortiz Group: Equity & Market Milestones

The Ortiz Group serves as CalNEXT’s DAC/HTR subject matter expert and partner, providing equity-focused guidance, qualitative research, stakeholder engagement, community outreach, barrier analysis, and project review support for pilots and studies that may affect disadvantaged, hard-to-reach, rural, tribal, and underserved communities. TOG’s role is to help ensure that emerging technologies are evaluated not only for technical promise, but also for real-world accessibility. This includes asking whether a technology can work in older homes, manufactured housing, multifamily settings, rural communities, and communities where cost, language access, contractor availability, trust, or electrical infrastructure may shape adoption.

Equity Milestones

Support for Focus Pilots with equity relevance: TOG supports pilots such as 120V Household Decarbonization and Micro Heat Pumps, which may help reduce installation barriers in constrained housing types.

Manufactured housing and power-efficient technology support: TOG supports research on manufactured home electrification using 100A-compatible solutions, including outreach, focus groups, interviews, and equity-centered guidance for HTR markets.

Market Milestones

Technology Priority Map support: TOG helps refine CalNEXT’s technology priorities, so market research and project selection remain aligned with changing electrification needs.

Project pipeline review: Reviewing 100+ project proposals helped shape which technologies and delivery strategies advance for further research or pilot consideration.

Statewide reach: CalNEXT serves all of California, giving TOG an opportunity to influence emerging technology strategies across multiple regions, sectors, and customer types.