Deadline extended to May 18  for residents to complete survey – Piedmont Building Energy Savings Ordinance (BESO) online survey – 

Take the short Survey by clicking below: >http://tinyurl.com/piedmontbeso

 Survey responses should be sent ASAP. The City states they are private. 

The City of Piedmont has been conducting an online survey of Piedmont homeowners. The survey is part of the effort stemming from the Piedmont Climate Action Plan.

“The survey asks for responses to various alternative energy upgrade mandates under consideration. The survey choices offered are potentially very costly upgrades that would be required on all Piedmont homes at some point.

“In this January’s report to the Mayor and Council, the City Administrator estimates between sales turnover and renovations of $50,000 or more, 1,180 homes would have to perform energy upgrades by 2020. Using an assumption of $50,000 of upgrades that is $93 mm. Upgrading Piedmont’s entire 3,800 homes would cost $195 mm, again using the cost per house assumption. 

 “The existence of the survey was not widely know based on my research. The costs appear to be material. My concern is that as many homeowners as possible learn of the issue and have a chance to submit their views via the survey.”                      Carter Dunlap, Piedmont Resident

VOLUNTARY OR MANDATED HOMEOWNER ACTIONS?

“A BESO ordinance may take many different forms but generally consist of four things: 

a) A threshold designating when the regulations become applicable to the building 
b) An energy assessment to determine the current status of the building 
c) Disclosure of energy information to the homeowner and select outside parties 
d) Implementation of energy efficiency measures (voluntary or mandatory)”

Some issues have been raised in opposition to ordinance requirements: 

• PG&E bills are already an indicator of energy usage and can be made available at the time of home sales.
• PG&E has long provided energy saving information to residents on a no cost basis.
• Consultant charges to residents would be significant.
• To implement the energy saving ordinance would increase staffing costs.
• The sale and remodeling of many residences would be impacted with significant additional costs.

The following City generated letter was sent to selected Piedmonters:

Dear Piedmonters,
The deadline to provide input on the proposed Building Energy Savings Ordinance (BESO) has been extended to 5 p.m., May 18, 2016 to allow for further feedback from interested community members. Please read below or visit http://tinyurl.com/piedmontbeso to find out more about the proposed ordinance and the opportunities for public participation.

The City of Piedmont adopted its Climate Action Plan (CAP) in 2010, which referenced a requirement for a home energy upgrade at the point-of-sale or remodel as the single largest recommendation to meet the City’s greenhouse gas reduction target. During the CAP update presented to City Council on May 5, 2014, City staff was directed to return with an in-depth report on the possibility of implementing a Building Energy Savings Ordinance (BESO). Given this instruction, on January 4, 2016, an introduction to the concept of a BESO was presented to the City Council, which directed staff to continue the development of such an ordinance. As directed, City staff has collected local data, investigated regulations in other cities, and is now seeking public opinion on potential provisions of the ordinance in advance of public hearings on the matter. Staff has tentatively scheduled the Planning Commission’s consideration of the ordinance during its regularly scheduled meeting on June 13, 2016. The Commission will be asked to make a recommendation to the City Council, which is tentatively scheduled to consider the ordinance during its regular meeting on July 5, 2016.

A BESO involves a home energy assessment to identify cost-effective efficiency improvements at the time of sale or at a specific threshold. The resulting report assigns the house an energy efficiency score and the homeowner is provided a list of specific rebates for home upgrades that would improve energy efficiency.

The City is conducting an on-line survey in order to seek public opinion on the potential thresholds and regulations of a Building Energy Savings 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 at http://tinyurl.com/piedmontbeso by 5 p.m. Wednesday, May 18, 2016. If you prefer to complete and submit a printed copy, please contact Assistant Planner Emily Alvarez at (510) 420-3094.

Best,
Emily Alvarez

Emily Alvarez, LEED AP BD+C
Assistant Planner | City of Piedmont
120 Vista Avenue | Piedmont, CA 94611
T: (510) 420-3094 | F: (320) 223-0537
E: ealvarez@ci.piedmont.ca.us

Emphasis added.

Go to the survey > http://tinyurl.com/piedmontbeso

Further background information is available in the City’s posting http://www.ci.piedmont.ca.us/resident-opinion-sought-on-building-energy-savings-ordinance/

Staff Report to City Council of January 4, 2016

Prior PCA article on the survey.

On Monday, May 2, starting at 7:30 p.m. in City Hall, the City Council will consider approving agreements with Alameda County for ambulance and advanced life support measures. The current agreement expires October 31, 2016.  Additional agreements will be considered with the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, the Alameda County Transportation Commission, and for Prescription Drug disposal.

The Proposed FY 16-17 Budget for the City of Piedmont will be presented.

The Council will consider a resolution commending a number of volunteers who will each receive the resolution at the reception on May 19 at the Community Hall.

Nominations for Piedmont Civic Volunteer of the Year are due May 6. (Nomination Form)

Staff Reports for May 2, 2016 Council Meeting:

05/02/16 – Approval of a Resolution to be Presented to Volunteers at the Annual Volunteer Reception for 2016

05/02/16 – 2nd Reading of Ord. 722 N.S. Modifying Section 3.8 of the City Code to Allow for Expanded Use of Linda Beach Playfield During the Renovation of Piedmont Sports Field (Hampton Field)

05/02/16 – Approval of Agreements with the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office for the Following:

a. Critical Incident Handling (Mutual Aid)

b. Evidence Collection and Processing

05/02/16 – Approval of the Master Programs Funding Agreement between the Alameda County Transportation Commission (ACTC) and the City of Piedmont

05/02/16 – Approval of the Extension of an Agreement with Alameda County Regarding First Response Advanced Life Support and Ambulance Transport Services

05/02/16 – Approval of Agreements Related to Prescription Drug Take Back Program in the Police Department

05/02/16 – Receipt of the 1st Quarter 2016 Crime Report from the Chief of Police

05/02/16 – Consideration of Authorization to Sign a Letter of Support Authorizing Participation in the 2016 East Bay SunShares Program

05/02/16 – Consideration of a Resolution Approving an Agreement and Establishing a Project Construction Budget for the Oakland and El Cerrito Aves. Pedestrian Improvement Project

The meeting on May 2, 2016 will be broadcast live on Channel 27 and from the City website under online videos.

Monday, April 18 City Council meeting –

At 7:30 p.m. in the evening of Monday, April 18, 2016, I attended a Piedmont City Council meeting. The City Council meets on the first and third Monday of every month, to allocate city funds, and improve and maintain the infrastructure of the city.

There were several issues discussed in this meeting by various members of the Council as well as the community, but the most pressing issues were the option for Piedmont to switch over to Community Choice Energy, the repair and renovation of Hampton Park, the addition of bike lanes to parts of Grand Avenue, the renewal of Piedmont’s contract with Richmond Sanitary Services, and looking into improving Piedmont’s public pool facilities.

To start the meeting, Bruce Jensen from the Alameda County Planning Department, and Tom Kelly gave a presentation on the benefits of Piedmont switching over to Community Choice Energy (CCE) from PG&E. CCE offers the community a choice for clean energy at a competitive rate to that which PG&E offers. The benefit of switching to CCE, is that Piedmont can come closer to its goals of being environmentally friendly, while still providing energy at a reasonable price. CCE is an opt-out program, meaning that everyone is automatically signed up for it, unless they expressly indicate in writing that they would not like to participate in the program. One worry about CCE is that if too many people opt-out, it will not be economically viable, and would end up costing the consumers more. Based on the discussion, I think that Piedmont should switch over to CCE. At the very least, it gives people options and prevents PG&E from having a total monopoly. In the best case, if most people stay in the program, CCE provides cleaner energy for a lower price than what Piedmont currently offers.

The next matter addressed at the City Council meeting was the repair and renovation of Hampton Park. Currently, Hampton Park is shut down every winter due to flooding and water damage from poor drainage. The city has to repair it annually, just for it to be damaged again the following winter, leading to a cycle costing the city $25,000 a year. In 2008, funds were raised to make long term changes to the park, preventing the annual flood damage, but the improvements were delayed due to the recession and more pressing priorities.

It has been so long since the City Council has originally raised the funds for the Hampton Park restoration, that they are now at risk of losing that money, so this has become a major focus of the Council. The Council unanimously agreed to fund the restoration of the park, and went on to discuss the logistics of where activities would be held while Hampton Park is undergoing renovations.

The Council came to the agreement that Beach Field would be able to temporarily take the displaced activities from Hampton Park, and the Council unanimously approved opening Beach Field on Sundays to allow for more activities. City Clerk John Tulloch said that, “he’s glad the park is getting improvement” as he’s seen many people use it and take advantage of the great space.

After that, the repainting of Grand Avenue to add bike lanes was discussed. Oakland is currently trying to add bike lanes to Grand Avenue, and Piedmont would like to “piggy back” on their work and continue the bike lanes on the part of Grand which is in Piedmont. Oakland has generously offered to fund some of the painting of bike lanes on the part of Grand in Piedmont. The council unanimously agreed to fund the rest of the addition of bike lanes to Grand Ave in Piedmont, and Council member Tim Rood commented on how it was ideal timing as it would be repainted before the annual Bay Area Bike to Work Day on May 12th.

The Council then discussed the renewal of Piedmont’s contract with Richmond Sanitary Services (RSS). The Council members all agreed that RSS does a fantastic job of collecting Piedmont’s waste, and unanimously agreed to negotiate a renewal of their contract.

The final issue the Council addressed was the improvement of Piedmont’s public pool facilities. Council members King, and Rood were nominated to look into ways to improve the public pool facilities. Both Council members accepted the task, and a motion was unanimously passed to look into ways of improving the pool facility.

Reported by Stuart Ashford, Piedmont High School Senior

Editors’ Note: Opinions expressed are those of the author.

 The public is invited to the City of Piedmont annual Arbor Day celebration on Wednesday, April 27th from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Community Hall and Teahouse in Piedmont Main Park on Highland Avenue.

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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