Joining BIA to Learn & Inform

Southern California Builder: What is GXG Energy and what does it provide homebuilders?

K. E. Maani: GXG Energy came to be out of a legacy problem with California’s electrification infrastructure that impacts homebuilders, among others. We are proud to offer the most advanced residential energy system in California, which provides a holistic approach to community energy based on power aggregation for single-family residential subdivisions, while alleviating pressure from grid assets during the tough afternoon and evening hours. We put up rooftop solar, then store all the output from the residences in an on-site centralized energy storage system in a closed-loop microgrid. When it’s needed, we convert it from DC to AC and deliver it to the homes. During peak hours, blackouts and times of voltage instability we are able to shift the resource to where’s its needed, delivering homeowners an optimized experience and best-in-class cost savings.

SCB: What first interested you in BIASC membership?

KEM: BIASC is a very exclusive club for high-achieving organizations, and we feel it’s a good place for us. It is, first of all, an excellent platform for us to learn about our target customers’ concerns, as we did recently when we found out that the electric utility in the Coachella Valley is not currently connecting new subdivisions to power. That is a problem our microgrids can solve. I learned very early in my life to be careful who I learn from, so we did a lot

K.E. Maani GXG Energy

of research because we didn’t want to become entangled in too many associations, and all the people we talked to convinced us that BIASC was the right place for us. If you look, for example, at the recent Outlook 2023 event in Irvine, it was very inciteful and gave us excellent data – having a source of insight like that available to us was phenomenal.

The second part of the prong is how BIA can help us to advance the discussion about energy participation, which is required by law – and the law is changing. We want to help homebuilders to understand what the future holds for electrical supply and use. Under the new rulemaking that went into effect on April 14, the regulated utilities are no longer interested in paying you an exorbitant amount in energy credits from solar, so homebuilders and homebuyers alike in this new era need to learn how to become impactful energy participants in the game instead of just flipping the switch and finding out that the utility can’t cover them.

SCB: What are you hoping to gain through membership?

KEM: Everything we’ve discussed today requires a collaborative approach, and the only way to solve it is through platforms like BIA, so we can work together to tackle the issue and attain benefits for everyone. I would like to help BIA spread the word so its members get up to date on this issue so we can power the homes of the future, and we are therefore looking forward to being very active in the Association. 