Santa Barbara County homeowners can now apply to participate in a California-funded research project that offers the chance to improve their home while earning $500 if they’re selected for the study.
The 3C-BEACH (Tri-County Benefits of Electrification for Comfort, and Health) project is designed to understand how small home improvements can impact comfort, air quality, and energy efficiency across the Central Coast.
To qualify, homeowners must own and occupy a single-family home in Santa Barbara, Ventura, or San Luis Obispo counties; have access to the previous 12 months of household utility bills; plan to remain in the home for at least two years; and have no major renovations planned.
Participation begins with a simple online application that takes about five minutes to complete, and If eligible, participants will receive a free home visit with trained technicians to evaluate their home and may receive new or improved heating pumps, cooling systems, water heaters, dryers, and insulation.
“Two indoor monitors are installed. One measures radon and the other measures a wider range of indoor air quality indicators,” the County of Ventura Sustainability Division’s Juan Lares said. “All equipment uses small power cables and connects to the home’s internet through wireless transmitters.”
Funded by the Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC), the project aims to enroll 109 homeowners in total, including 27 in Santa Barbara County.
“Any home deemed eligible to participate in the study will receive one or more no‑cost gas‑to‑electric system conversions,” Lares said. “It is a strong opportunity for homeowners to support air quality research while improving their home systems at no cost.”
Monitoring will be done between a 9-12 month before improvements and 9 to 12 months after improvements. No additional improvements are offered beyond the gas-to-electric conversions and energy-efficiency improvements such as insulation.
Enrollment is limited, and with outreach beginning first in Ventura County, no Santa Barbara County homeowners have enrolled yet. Homeowners can learn more and apply through the County of Ventura’s 3C-BEACH website.
