# San Mateo. CA considers solar, EV requirements for new construction



## mark handler (May 30, 2016)

San Mateo considers solar, EV requirements for new construction
By Samantha Weigel Daily Journal staff

http://www.smdailyjournal.com/artic...iders-solar-ev-requirements-new-construction/

San Mateo is moving to step up its efforts to combat climate change by going beyond state building codes and mandating many new properties incorporate green technologies.

Assuming the state approves, those who build new residential and non-residential properties could be required to incorporate a range of features such as solar panels, cool roofs and electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

The City Council approved updating its building code earlier this month and the proposed changes must undergo an extensive review and approval from the California Energy Commission before going into effect as early as Jan. 1, 2017, according to a city staff report.

The requirements go above state mandates known as the Green Building Code and Energy Code sections of the California Building Code, which is currently being updated and expected to also go into effect in 2017, according to the report.

Mayor Joe Goethals and the council supported going beyond state minimums to combat climate change during the May 16 meeting.

“It shows leadership by the city on a county level. I really think this is a tremendous move for us,” Goethals said, according to a video of the meeting.

If approved, San Mateo could be the second in the state to require all new buildings be equipped with solar panels, according to Kathy Kleinbaum, interim economic development manager.

The requirements must be cost effective and not present an unreasonable burden to builders — incorporating these technologies has become increasingly easier as infrastructure like solar panels have decreased in price.

What’s on the roof

If the new amendments are approved, all new construction would be required to have at least a modicum of solar panels.

New single-family homes must install a minimum of a 1-kilowatt solar photovoltaic system; multi-family buildings with between three and 16 units must have a minimum 2-kilowatt system; multi-family buildings with 17 or more units must have a minimum 3 kilowatt system.

For construction of new non-residential buildings, those less than 10,000 square feet must have at least a 3-kilowatt system and larger structures must include at least a 5-kilowatt system.

While the low kilowatt requirements may not produce a substantial amount of energy, staff noted it could incentivize owners to custom fit their properties with more panels to maximize the cost effectiveness of the system.

As an alternative, any new construction could skip solar panel installation if they instead provide a solar hot water system that can collect at least 40 square feet, according to the report.

Cool roofs, which are lighter in color to reflect sun resulting in less energy needed to cool buildings, are required on all new multi-family and commercial developments with low-sloped roofs. Single-family homes are not included, according to the report.

If you build it, they will park

The city seeks for new commercial and multi-family buildings to support the increasingly popular gas-free vehicles by incorporating electrical grids that could support charging infrastructure, as well as install a higher percentage of stations.

San Mateo’s proposal is to have 10 percent of the total parking spaces EV ready and at least 3 percent of them installed with chargers. This is above the state’s minimum of 3 percent for multi-family and 6 percent for commercial projects, according to the report.

Staff noted a large barrier to installing EV chargers in existing developments occurs when adequate electrical capacity isn’t built into the project from the onset.

Kleinbaum noted the proposed amendments were a follow-up to the adoption of the city’s Climate Action Plan and worked on by consultants as well as the city’s Sustainability Commission.

“We did not develop these policies in a vacuum. We worked really closely with the Sustainability Commission,” Kleinbaum said, adding the goals were to develop clear policies that would not have too much of an impact on development.

Kleinbaum said staff met with stakeholders and several developers, such as Bay Meadows master developer Wilson Meany, that shared concerns about the EV portion of the code. In a letter to the city, Wilson Meany expressed significant support for sustainability measures, but noted the financial impacts and questioned whether there was an existing market demand for the high number of EV spaces. They suggested incentivizing, instead of mandating, and noted transit-oriented projects that incorporate other sustainability measures should be considered.

Some of the issues revolved around Pacific Gas and Electric’s policies concerning installing oversized equipment for expected, but not yet used, energy capacity — EV readiness but not actual installation. Kleinbaum said the city is continuing to work with PG&E, and noted the new state requirement could also have an effect.

Prior to anything becoming a requirement, the California Energy Commission has a 60-day public comment period after which it will issue a ruling on San Mateo’s proposed amendments. If approved, the ordinance could go into effect Jan. 1, 2017.

Councilman Rick Bonilla, a strong proponent of sustainable building design, said “I support everything we can do to make the housing of the future in San Mateo as efficient as possible.”


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## conarb (May 30, 2016)

Sounds like they are electing Democrats.


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## mark handler (May 31, 2016)

Building codes getting green: San Mateo considers solar, EV requirements for new construction
By Samantha Weigel, Daily Journal, 5/30/16
 San Mateo Demands Only the Very Rich Can Live in City
The San Mateo city council has decided they want to make sure the poor and middle class only visit their town, but not live in it.  All they have to do is increase the already high cost of housing by mandating tens of thousands of dollars of extra costs for solar panels—though the utilities will continue to force the homeowners to pay a fee for NOT using their services.  Then the city is demanding you put in an expensive re-charging station for an electric vehicle—even if you do not own one.  Maybe they are planning on forcing people to either bike around town or have an electric vehicle—which by the way will raise the cost of electricity in the home.  San Mateo wants to be a planned city—planned by government.
“San Mateo is moving to step up its efforts to combat climate change by going beyond state building codes and mandating many new properties incorporate green technologies.
Assuming the state approves, those who build new residential and non-residential properties could be required to incorporate a range of features such as solar panels, cool roofs and electric vehicle charging infrastructure.”
San Mateo is making sure that affordable housing and business operations do not exist in their town.  The good news is that Texas is open for real people, it is a FREE State as opposed to the slave city of San Mateo and the State of California.
San Mateo is moving to step up its efforts to combat climate change by going beyond state building codes and mandating many new properties incorporate green technologies.
Assuming the state approves, those who build new residential and non-residential properties could be required to incorporate a range of features such as solar panels, cool roofs and electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
The City Council approved updating its building code earlier this month and the proposed changes must undergo an extensive review and approval from the California Energy Commission before going into effect as early as Jan. 1, 2017, according to a city staff report.
The requirements go above state mandates known as the Green Building Code and Energy Code sections of the California Building Code, which is currently being updated and expected to also go into effect in 2017, according to the report.
Mayor Joe Goethals and the council supported going beyond state minimums to combat climate change during the May 16 meeting.
“It shows leadership by the city on a county level. I really think this is a tremendous move for us,” Goethals said, according to a video of the meeting.
If approved, San Mateo could be the second in the state to require all new buildings be equipped with solar panels, according to Kathy Kleinbaum, interim economic development manager.
The requirements must be cost effective and not present an unreasonable burden to builders — incorporating these technologies has become increasingly easier as infrastructure like solar panels have decreased in price.
What’s on the roof
If the new amendments are approved, all new construction would be required to have at least a modicum of solar panels.
New single-family homes must install a minimum of a 1-kilowatt solar photovoltaic system; multi-family buildings with between three and 16 units must have a minimum 2-kilowatt system; multi-family buildings with 17 or more units must have a minimum 3 kilowatt system.
For construction of new non-residential buildings, those less than 10,000 square feet must have at least a 3-kilowatt system and larger structures must include at least a 5-kilowatt system.
While the low kilowatt requirements may not produce a substantial amount of energy, staff noted it could incentivize owners to custom fit their properties with more panels to maximize the cost effectiveness of the system.
As an alternative, any new construction could skip solar panel installation if they instead provide a solar hot water system that can collect at least 40 square feet, according to the report.
Cool roofs, which are lighter in color to reflect sun resulting in less energy needed to cool buildings, are required on all new multi-family and commercial developments with low-sloped roofs. Single-family homes are not included, according to the report.
If you build it, they will park
The city seeks for new commercial and multi-family buildings to support the increasingly popular gas-free vehicles by incorporating electrical grids that could support charging infrastructure, as well as install a higher percentage of stations.
San Mateo’s proposal is to have 10 percent of the total parking spaces EV ready and at least 3 percent of them installed with chargers. This is above the state’s minimum of 3 percent for multi-family and 6 percent for commercial projects, according to the report.
Staff noted a large barrier to installing EV chargers in existing developments occurs when adequate electrical capacity isn’t built into the project from the onset.
Kleinbaum noted the proposed amendments were a follow-up to the adoption of the city’s Climate Action Plan and worked on by consultants as well as the city’s Sustainability Commission.
“We did not develop these policies in a vacuum. We worked really closely with the Sustainability Commission,” Kleinbaum said, adding the goals were to develop clear policies that would not have too much of an impact on development.
Kleinbaum said staff met with stakeholders and several developers, such as Bay Meadows master developer Wilson Meany, that shared concerns about the EV portion of the code. In a letter to the city, Wilson Meany expressed significant support for sustainability measures, but noted the financial impacts and questioned whether there was an existing market demand for the high number of EV spaces. They suggested incentivizing, instead of mandating, and noted transit-oriented projects that incorporate other sustainability measures should be considered.
Some of the issues revolved around Pacific Gas and Electric’s policies concerning installing oversized equipment for expected, but not yet used, energy capacity — EV readiness but not actual installation. Kleinbaum said the city is continuing to work with PG&E, and noted the new state requirement could also have an effect.
Prior to anything becoming a requirement, the California Energy Commission has a 60-day public comment period after which it will issue a ruling on San Mateo’s proposed amendments. If approved, the ordinance could go into effect Jan. 1, 2017.
Councilman Rick Bonilla, a strong proponent of sustainable building design, said “I support everything we can do to make the housing of the future in San Mateo as efficient as possible


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## conarb (May 31, 2016)

San Mateo is very expensive being between Palo Alto and San Francisco, they think they can keep out the minorities and poor by enforcing expensive Green Codes, but California's communist affordable housing law is going to come back and bite them in the butt, after making it even more expensive to build there they are going to have to pay more to house the very people they want to keep out of town.


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