SURVEY: Potential Ordinance and Regulations on Residential Energy Usage
Resident Opinions Sought on Building Energy Savings Ordinance –
The City of Piedmont is conducting an on-line survey < in order to seek public opinion on the potential thresholds and regulations of an ordinance, and whether or not the community would support requiring basic energy efficiency improvements as a result of the assessment.
Resident Surveys < must be completed by Friday, May 6th at 5:00p.m.
Piedmont is looking at regulations and ordinances of the City of Berkeley <:
City of Berkeley Building Energy Savings Ordinance (BESO) Overview:
“BESO requires building owners and homeowners to complete comprehensive energy assessments to uncover energy saving opportunities. The assessments are conducted by registered energy assessors who provide tailored recommendations on how to save energy and link building owners to incentives for energy efficiency upgrade projects. Energy efficiency improvements are voluntary and encouraged. BESO is required prior to sale of a house or whole building, except for large buildings over 25,000 square feet and on a phased-in schedule for all buildings, except houses. BESO is required regardless of RECO or CECO compliance status.”
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The City of Piedmont is currently exploring the adoption of a Building Energy Savings Ordinance (BESO) to help meet the greenhouse gas reduction goals of the City’s Climate Action Plan. A BESO involves a home energy assessment to identify cost-effective efficiency improvements at the time of sale or at a specific threshold. After the assessment, homeowners are given a household energy efficiency score and provided a list of specific rebates for home upgrades.
Fifty-one percent of Piedmont’s greenhouse gas emissions come from buildings, and over 95% of buildings in the City are residential. Therefore, homeowner participation is critical for reaching the City’s goal of a 15% reduction in greenhouse gas emission levels by 2020.
The purpose of a BESO is to help homeowners save money on their utility bills while reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Potential thresholds under consideration include the time of sale of a home, during a major remodel or renovation, or universal adoption by a certain date (e.g. 2025).
To accomplish this, the City of Piedmont is considering the new Home Energy Score tool developed by the U.S. Department of Energy. This tool uses the existing features of a home in order to model its energy usage, resulting in a score from 1 to 10.
The energy assessment process is simple: an assessor visits a residence and conducts a brief home walkthrough. They collect 40 data points about the features of the home, such as insulation and window type, and enter them into the Home Energy Score software to produce an efficiency report consisting of a score and a list of energy efficiency improvements.
Many cities across the country have already adopted BESO-like policies, with Berkeley being one of the most prominent East Bay examples. As part of a regional effort, over eight cities and counties in the Bay Area are currently exploring the implementation of a similar ordinance in their jurisdictions.
In these jurisdictions, the Home Energy Score would allow for the disclosure of a home’s energy performance to potential buyers, which has been shown to add additional value during the sale process. A recent study found that green rated homes are valued at an average of up to 9% more than comparable homes without an efficiency rating.
The City is conducting an on-line survey in order to seek public opinion on the potential thresholds and regulations of such an ordinance, and whether or not the community would support requiring basic energy efficiency improvements as a result of the assessment. If you are interested in learning more about a BESO and providing your thoughts, please complete the survey found a http://tinyurl.com/piedmontbeso by Friday, May 6th, 2016 at 5:00p.m. If you prefer to complete and submit a printed copy, please contact Assistant Planner Emily Alvarez at (510) 420-3094.
