Jun. 2--A $7 million program intended to help small tourist businesses, municipal agencies and residential customers use energy more efficiently is about to be launched in the Monterey Bay area.

The Energy Watch Project -- a partnership between Pacific Gas & Electric Co. and the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments -- will be kicked off at an AMBAG forum June 15 about financial incentives and opportunities to save energy and energy costs.

"This is specially tailored to the Monterey Bay region," said AMBAG spokeswoman Kate Butchart.

The program will promote ways to save energy in homes and businesses through retrofitting, energy audits, more energy- efficient appliances and other means. The two-year program will offer grants that will go to applicants, Butchart said.

The budget for the upcoming year that starts July 1 will be $6.99 million, with another $3.4 million available next year, she said.

The forum will include panel discussions on energy-saving incentives and applying energy innovations to mainstream purposes.

The keynote speaker will be George Denise, general manager for Cushman & Wakefield at Adobe Systems Inc. He will discuss 41 ways that energy savings have been realized at Adobe's San Jose headquarters with an annual cost saving of $1 million.

The event is the eighth annual community planning forum sponsored by AMBAG. This year's energy-efficiency theme stems from the upcoming Energy Watch Program.

"There is a lot of stuff going on in our region having to do with energy efficiency," Butchart said. AMBAG is made up of city and county governments in Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito counties.

Laura Strohm, a former professor of international environmental policy at the Monterey Institute of International Studies and founder of the Sustainability Academy consulting firm, will be another featured speaker at the forum.

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If you go -- What:  The Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments forum on energy efficiency -- When:1:30 to 5:15 p.m., June 15 -- Where:  Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, 8272 Moss Landing Road, Moss Landing -- Cost:  $35 per person in advance, $50 at the door -- Information:883-3750, or e-mail kbutchart@ambag.org

Larry Parsons can be reached at 646-4379 or lparsons@montereyherald.com.