To: Board of Supervisors
From: Sustainability Committee
Report Title: Proposed Energy Code Amendment to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions from New Buildings
?Recommendation of the County Administrator ? Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
CONSIDER authorizing the Department of Conservation and Development to prepare an ordinance amending the County building code to increase energy efficiency standards for newly constructed residential buildings, offices, hotels, and retail buildings to meet the County's Climate Action Plan goals, and provide related direction to staff, as recommended by the Sustainability Committee.
FISCAL IMPACT:
This activity will be accomplished with existing staff. Technical assistance for the development of the ordinance is provided with funding through the California Public Utilities Commission from the Bay Area Regional Energy Network and Statewide Reach Codes Program. There is no direct cost to the County if the Board chooses to use existing cost-effectiveness studies, which are used to demonstrate the findings and supporting analyses required under Section 10-106 of the State's Building Energy Efficiency Standards to adopt an amendment to a locally adopted building code that increase energy code requirements beyond the State-wide minimum requirements, commonly referred to as a "reach code."
BACKGROUND:
On February 27, 2024, the Board of Supervisors (Board) suspended its enforcement of Ordinance No. 2022-02, which amended the California Energy Code to require all newly constructed residential buildings, hotels, offices, and retail buildings be constructed as all-electric buildings without natural gas infrastructure. The ordinance, adopted on January 18, 2022, and operative on June 1, 2022, was suspended because of a decision on January 2, 2024, by the U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit that invalidated a City of Berkely ordinance that prohibited natural gas infrastructure in new buildings. The court held that the ...
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