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D.4

To:	Board of Supervisors
From:	John Kopchik, Director, Conservation & Development Department
Date:	December 19, 2017

Contra

Costa

County

Subject:

Ordinance to Require Solar Energy Systems for New Residential Construction

APPROVE	OTHER
RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR	RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE

Action of Board On: 12/19/2017

APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED

OTHER

Clerks Notes:

VOTE OF SUPERVISORS

Contact:

Jason Crapo, 925-674-7722

I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of Supervisors on the date shown.
ATTESTED: December 19, 2017
David Twa,

BY:	, Deputy

RECOMMENDATION(S):

DIRECT the Department of Conservation and Development to prepare an ordinance amending the County Building Code to require the installation of solar photovoltaic systems for new residential construction, as recommended by the Ad Hoc Committee on Sustainability.

FISCAL IMPACT:

There is a nominal cost related to drafting the ordinance. The requirements of such an ordinance would have upfront cost and potentially longer term savings implications for new home buyers.

BACKGROUND:

At its meeting on November 13, 2017 the Ad Hoc Committee on Sustainability received a report from staff in the Department of Conservation and Development (DCD) concerning the Model Solar Ordinance Toolkit recently released by the Bay Area Regional Collaborative (BARC), Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD), and Bay Area Regional Energy Network (BayREN). The intent of the Model Solar Ordinance Toolkit is to facilitate the adoption of local ordinances requiring the installation of solar energy systems for new residential construction.

BACKGROUND: (CONT'D)

The State of California has established a goal to include requirements in the 2019 California Building Code (CBC) for new residential construction to achieve the standard of Zero Net Energy (ZNE), which refers to the concept that a building generates as much energy as it consumes over the course of a year.

The California Energy Commission (CEC) is the State agency responsible for developing the building code standards for ZNE. The CEC developed the Model Solar Ordinance advocated by the regional agencies as an incremental step to prepare local jurisdictions for the implementation of ZNE. Installation of rooftop solar, or an acceptable alternative, is expected to be a component of ZNE requirements in the 2019 CBC. The adoption of a local ordinance amending the California Building Code to require the installation of solar photovoltaic systems on new residential construction would further the goals of the County's Climate Action Plan and would represent an incremental step towards the achieving ZNE standards that are anticipated to be included in the 2019 California Building Code.

Adoption of a local ordinance requiring the installation of solar energy systems for new residential construction will result in additional costs associated with the construction of new housing. The requirements of such an ordinance would be expected to add several thousands of dollars to the up-front cost of each housing unit and may require design changes to some proposed housing projects so that solar energy systems can be incorporated into the design. The California Public Utilities Commission funded a cost effectiveness study that found the initial cost of installing a solar photovoltaic system for new residential construction is offset by cost savings associated with reduced energy consumption over the life of the building.

To more fully understand the impacts of the proposed model solar ordinance on residential construction, staff will solicit comments on the model solar ordinance from the Building Industry Association and include any comments provided in the staff report accompanying the introduction of the proposed local ordinance.

CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:

If the Board does not approve this action, DCD will not prepare and introduce the proposed ordinance.

CLERK'S ADDENDUM

Speaker: Lisa Vorderbruggen, Building Industry Association.

Following consideration the Board chose to defer action on preparation of an ordinance until the State of California has taken action.

NO ACTION TAKEN.