Coachella Valley officials to attend energy meeting in Oslo

The Desert Sun, Palm Springs CA
MyDesert.com

July 31, 2008

Ortega and Wohlmuth to promote new programs in valley

Two Coachella Valley officials head to Oslo Saturday for an international meeting on energy efficiency where they will be touting the desert's rising profile as an incubator for innovative, eco-friendly programs.

Palm Desert City Manager Carlos Ortega and John Wohlmuth, executive director of the Coachella Valley Association of Governments, will travel to the capital of Norway for the annual meeting of the Aspen Accord, a consortium of cities and utility companies in California and Sweden that collaborate on energy conservation programs.

Ortega will be making a presentation on Palm Desert’s five-year campaign to cut energy use by 30 percent — a project that grew out of an Aspen Accord meeting in 2005.

"We're talking about the progress in our current program and also talking about AB 811,” Ortega said, referring to the Palm Desert-sponsored law allowing California cities to provide residents with low-cost loans for energy-efficient air conditioners and solar panels.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the law earlier this month, and Palm Desert officials are now setting up what will likely be the first loan program in the state.

Wohlmuth is going to gather information and support for a CVAG partnership program with Southern California Edison and the Gas Company, similar to Palm Desert's. Both CVAG and Palm Springs have submitted applications for utility partnership programs to the California Public Utilities Commission.

"There's an interest in knowing what a regional government can provide to these programs, how regional government can reach out to it members," Wohlmuth said.

~JFF - A link to the final version of text of AB 811 law.
Only about 5 pages long and pretty manageable language

Drake Landing Solar Community, Okotoks, Canada

Centralized solar thermal system for 52 homes using garage roof mounted flat panels and underground thermal storage. Reduction in heating needs quoted at 90%

http://www.dlsc.ca/borehole.htm

Borehole Thermal Energy Storage (BTES)

144 – 150mm dia x 35m deep boreholes spaced 2.25m on centre. Single 25mm PEX U-tube with 40mm grout tube. High solids grout – 9% Blast Furnace Cement, 9% Portland cement, 32% fine silica sand, 50% water 24 strings of 6 boreholes in series. Divided into four circuits and distributed through four quadrants so that the loss of any single string or circuit has minimal impact on the heat capacity on the entire system All circuits and strings start from centre of the BTES and move toward the outside to maximize stratification.

A borehole thermal energy storage (BTES) system is an underground structure for storing large quantities of solar heat collected in summer for use later in winter. It is basically a large, underground heat exchanger.

A BTES consists of an array of boreholes resembling standard drilled wells. After drilling, a plastic pipe with a “U” bend at the bottom is inserted down the borehole. To provide good thermal contact with the surrounding soil, the borehole is then filled with a high thermal conductivity grouting material.

Aerial view of Borehole Thermal Energy Storage (BTES)

Sideview of single Borehole Thermal Energy Storage (BTES) tube

Click for a larger image >>

The BTES in the Drake Landing Solar Community (DLSC) consists of 144 boreholes, each stretching to a depth of 37 meters and planned in a grid with 2.25 meters between them. The BTES field covers 35 metres in diameter. At the surface, the U-pipes are joined together in groups of six that radiate from the center to the outer edge, and then connect back to the Energy Centre building. The entire BTES field is then covered in a layer of insulation and then soil – with a landscaped park built on top.

When solar heated water is available to be stored, it is pumped into the centre of the BTES field and through the U-pipe series. Heat is transferred to the surrounding soil and rock, and the water gradually cools as it reaches the outer edge and returns to the Energy Centre.

Conversely, when the homes require heat, cooler water is pumped into the edges of the BTES field and as the water flows to the centre it picks up heat. The heated water passes to the short-term storage tank in the Energy Centre and is then circulated to the homes through the district heating loop. All pumps and control valves are housed in the neighbouring Energy Centre building.

Even with sunny Alberta weather, it will take approximately three years to fully charge the BTES field. In the first years of operation, the field will operate at relatively low temperatures, and the recoverable energy will be largely depleted before the end of the heating season. However, after a few years of operation, the core temperature of the BTES field will approach 80°C by the end of summer, with sufficient heat for almost an entire heating season.

The Energy Centre

The 2,500 square foot Energy Centre building for the Drake Landing Solar Community (DLSC) is the heart of the district heating system. Located in the corner of the community park, it houses the short-term heat storage tanks and most of the mechanical equipment such as pumps, heat exchangers, and controls. The solar collector loop, the district heating loop, and the borehole thermal energy storage loop pass through the Energy Centre.

Approximately 70 percent of the floor space is filled with two large, horizontal, insulated water tanks, each 12 feet in diameter and 36 feet long. The water temperatures within these tanks are stratified to improve the overall efficiency of the system.

The front room of the Energy Centre contains the pumps, valves, heat exchangers, expansion tanks, and other equipment necessary to operate and control the energy system.

Stratified Short Term Thermal Storage (STTS) Tanks and Solar Collector Loop

STTS: 2 – 120 m3 steel tanks. Epoxy lined for 100°C water. Horizontal baffle to encourage stratification and plug flow through upper and lower chambers. The storage medium is water.

The District Heating System

All 52 houses are serviced by direct-buried, pre-insulated piping. Working fluid is water. It is connected to the STTS through a heat exchanger, all located within the Energy Centre. There are 4 individual home-run loops off a manifold in the Energy Centre. Water temperature is modulated based on outdoor temperature. Flow is modulated based on the number of houses calling.

Plastic, insulated, underground pipe is used to distribute heated water from the community’s Energy Centre back to the homes. The hot water circulating through these pipes will typically be 40 - 50°C. The distribution temperature will vary through the year based on the outside air temperature and the flow regulated to match demands by the homeowners.

This lower temperature reduces losses from the pipes and is more compatible with the solar energy source. Keeping the system operating temperature as low as possible causes the solar collectors to operate in a more efficient manner, thus increasing the total quantity of heat available for delivery to the homes.

Because of a lower water temperature used in the district heating system, each home is equipped with a specially designed air-handler unit for adequate heat distribution.

Drake Landing Solar Community Site Plan

Solar Collection

800– 2.45m x 1.18m flat-plate glazed collectors 50% propylene glycol antifreeze Mounted on four rows of garages, with two rows of collectors per garage Azimuth – south; tilt – 45°

The solar thermal collection system consists of 800 flat plate solar panels organized into four rows mounted on the detached garages behind the homes.

An antifreeze solution - a mixture of water and non-toxic glycol - is pumped through the solar collectors and heated whenever the sun is out. The 800 collectors are connected via an underground, insulated pipe that carries the heated solution to the community’s Energy Centre. Once there, the heated solution passes through a heat exchanger, where the heat is transferred to the water in the short-term storage tanks. While the flow rate through the collectors is constant, the flow rate on the water side of the heat exchanger is automatically adjustable, allowing the control system to set a desired temperature rise.

The solar collectors for DLSC were manufactured by Enerworks.

Solar Collector Cross-Section

Palm Desert Energy Goals

http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080723/OPINION01/807230317/1026/news12

Bill to promote energy efficiency makes sense

Staff - the Desert Sun

A Palm Desert-sponsored bill that won the governor's signature Monday will create a win-win situation for property owners and cities across the state looking to become more “green.”

Assembly Bill 811 aims to give residents affordable financing options to improve the energy efficiency of their homes. California cities hoping to join the effort now have a tool to encourage community buy-in by offering low-interest loans to property owners for energy-efficient air conditioners, solar panels, windows and other upgrades.

Cities already have assessment districts to pay for public improvements such as sewers and roads. The law would add energy-efficient home improvement to the code.

Here's how it would work:

Property owners get low-interest loans from their city.

Repayment is done via property tax bill.

If the property is sold, the seller can pay off the loan or it can be assumed by the buyer.

The City Council could make a loan from the general fund to get the program going. Palm Desert estimates that some property owners could save 60 percent on their air conditioning bill alone. “I think it's exciting,” City Manager Carlos Ortega said.

It's a lot to ask residents to spend $10,000 to install the highest efficiency air conditioner they can find, Ortega said. With the new program, residents can repay the loan without feeling such a pinch in the pocketbook.

“They would have to raid their savings, or get a home equity loan,” he said. “This way, all we have to do is say, ‘OK, sign this agreement, here is a payment schedule, we'll collect it through your tax bill and your on your way.' This makes it easier for people to participate.”

We first editorialized on this bill in January, saying AB 811 deserved serious consideration and swift passage. Palm Desert officials hoped Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger would sign it in the spring, so city officials could have their program up and running by the summer. That didn't happen, but both houses of the Legislature passed the bill as an “urgency measure,” meaning it can go into effect immediately.

Palm Desert has attracted national attention with its program that calls for a 30 percent reduction in energy emissions by 2011. It's an aggressive approach. Last year property owners reduced energy consumption by 10 percent. While the city's 2007 goal was 15 percent, more progress is being made in the second year of the program.

Palm Desert needs community buy-in to meet its goal and this bill may be the ticket to get property owners on board. It's a simple way to get residents to buy and install high-efficiency windows, air conditioners, pool pumps and solar panels.

Loaning money to residents with great incentives and terms is what Palm Desert — and communities statewide — need to kick-start their energy savings plans.

AB 811 Energy Financing Signed into Law by Gov Schwartzenegger July 22, 2008

http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080722/NEWS07/807220327

An energy bill that saves money?
Legislation tied to valley made law

K Kaufmann and Jake Henshaw
The Desert Sun

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Monday signed a Palm Desert-sponsored bill that will make it easier for residents in the Coachella Valley and across California to go green while cutting back on electric bills.

Assembly Bill 811 will allow California cities to provide residents with low-cost loans for energy-efficient home improvements such as solar panels and high-efficiency air conditioners. Residents would pay back loans through their property taxes.

The bill passed both houses of the state Legislature as an “urgency measure,” which means it goes into effect immediately.

“The governor is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in California, and this legislation underscores that goal by promoting the use of renewable energy,” said Rachel Cameron, a spokeswoman for Schwarzenegger.

Councilman Jim Ferguson, who lobbied hard to get the bill through the Legislature in six months, was jubilant.

“I am thrilled for the residents of Palm Desert,” he said. “I think it's going to save a lot of people a lot of money at the most expensive time of the year.”

Vincent Battaglia, president of Renova Energy Corp., a solar consulting firm in Palm Desert, called the bill historic.

“Our big Achilles heel was the fiscal restraint,” Battaglia said, referring to the high up-front costs of buying solar panels. “That's why solar was not moving forward. This removes the fiscal restraint.”

Palm Desert officials have been laying the groundwork for the city's program in anticipation of the governor's signature.

The first step will be a City Council resolution directing staff to set up the program that the council is expected to pass during a brief meeting at 4 p.m. Thursday in the Civic Center Council Chamber, 73-510 Fred Waring Drive.

A public hearing on the program, with final approval, would then be set for the council's next meeting on Aug. 28, City Manager Carlos Ortega said.

“We can start taking applications even before the council adopts the whole thing,” he said. “It would be good to get a head-start.”

The city initially will bankroll the program with its own funds, but will issue bonds for the longer term, Ortega said.

Desert origins

AB 811 grew out of Palm Desert's ambitious five-year plan to cut city energy use by 30 percent — and the problems officials encountered getting residents to upgrade old air-conditioners, pool pumps and energy-leaking windows.

The high up-front costs of such improvements, often thousands of dollars, proved a major obstacle for many residents even with special rebates from Southern California Edison, a partner in the five-year plan.

Palm Desert proposed the law to update sections in California's Streets and Highways Code that allow cities to set up assessment districts to pay for public improvements such as sewers and roads. AB 811 adds energy-efficient home improvements to the code, but makes the loan and payback plan voluntary.

Assemblyman Lloyd E. Levine, who carried the bill through the Assembly and Senate with broad bipartisan support, said it would “maximize the availability of solar power in California.”

Mayor Steve Pougnet said he is anxious for Palm Springs to set up a loan program and has directed his staff to come up with a plan.

“This is something that obviously is important to the entire valley,” Pougnet said. “We can coordinate to make sure as many people as possible utilize this.”

Jake Henshaw reported from The Desert Sun's Sacramento bureau.
K Kaufmann can be reached at k.kaufmann@thedesertsun.com or 200-6828.

The Renovation of LEED EB to EBOM

Published on GreenBizSite (http://greenerbuildings.com)

Article discusses the impact/background of changes in the US Green Building criteria for LEED [Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design] certification for Existing Buildings [EB] to the new standard Existing Building Operations & Maintenance EBOM.
Some AB 811 funds are expected to go towards upgrades to commercial buildings with LEED EBOM in mind.
The ROI (Return on Investment) of upgrades to older (20th century) buildings can be very fast, often under 2 years.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

July 3, 2008

The Renovation of LEED-EB
By Venessa Wong

As LEED fever spreads across the United States and abroad, the U.S. Green Building Council hopes to revitalize the LEED for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB) standard, which has been trailing behind its far more popular counterpart for New Construction (LEED-NC). As of July 1, LEED-EB: Operations & Maintenance (LEED-EB:O&M, pronounced "leed-e-bom"), will become the default rating system for existing buildings entering the LEED game.

The implications are significant: if successful, EBOM will give green building the muscle to transform an enormous section of the industry. USGBC Director of Certification Mike Opitz explains that the existing buildings market is much larger than that for new construction. There are about 5 million commercial buildings in the United States. Also, EB registration can be sought at any point in the lifecycle of a building, unlike new constructions which must incorporate LEED from the design and construction phase. By improving the EB system, "we are trying to take the best practices of today and make them the standard practices of tomorrow," says Opitz.

The revised EB framework, introduced earlier this year, aims to remove unattractive prerequisites in the old version while strengthening the focus on water and energy efficiency. Building professionals thinking seriously about shrinking their facilities' footprints welcome the change, especially as environmental programs such as the Clinton Climate Initiative and the C40 Large Cities group gain momentum. All projects registering for Existing Buildings after July 1 must do so under EBOM, while any projects already registered for Version 2.0 before this deadline have the option to upgrade to EBOM or continue certification under Version 2.0.

A Retailored Framework

The first version of LEED-EB was introduced in 2004 to address buildings' overall and daily facility management issues. Despite the environmental advantages and financial incentives offered by the government, the uptake of EB was slower than USGBC hoped. As of June this year, there were only 85 EB certified projects, compared to 1,090 for New Construction. California ranked number one with 18 EB projects.

James Baker, director of facilities management at Armstrong, says "[EB] certification was very challenging to complete." Last June, Armstrong World Industries received EB Platinum rating for its corporate headquarters in Lancaster, PA. The biggest challenge was lack of experience to estimate the resource requirements and timing to earn certification. "We had an in-house facilities team which was very knowledgeable of the building's systems, however [they] already had plenty on their plate to accomplish each day," Baker says.

In addition to the steep learning curve, many other factors discouraged building managers. "[EB] was not a good fit for the existing buildings market," Opitz says, as there was too much carryover from the NC rating system in terms of architectural and design requirements. For example, the Daylight and Views credit in Version 2.0 might call for major window renovations, which was not viable for most owners of occupied buildings. Building managers also complained about onerous prerequisites for commissioning, waste stream audit and mercury in lamps reduction. (All of these were converted to optional credits in EBOM.)

The USGBC started the process to revise EB over a year ago. The new program is not dramatically different but does shift the spotlight from design to facilities and maintenance. Overall it should alleviate the challenges in Version 2.0, according to Kaitlin Regan, marketing manager for green building consultancy CodeGreen. While certification is not effortless, there are more streamlined credits and the requirements and prerequisites are adjusted to fit existing buildings, hopefully making them easier to achieve. In total, EBOM adds seven new credit options "to allow more flexibility for projects to choose credits which are most feasible based on project scope," explains Regan.

Most of the new credits deal with energy and water, the top two areas where facilities managers can realize cost savings. Anna Dengler, a consultant at sustainability firm Great Forest, says, "While the bar has been raised, very efficient buildings will have a shorter distance to go to obtain certification." EBOM raises the minimum Energy Star rating from 67 to 69 and the number of possible energy points from 10 to 15, nearly half of 34 required points needed for certification. Meanwhile, the number of points for water doubled from 5 to 10.

Over 60 projects had already registered for EBOM by June and Opitz expects the first certified project to debut in the United States this summer. Industry insiders say the new version has strong potential to outshine its predecessor, especially as energy costs rise and managers look for ways to reduce their energy consumption.

EBOM is expected to be particularly successful in urban areas, which have a dense concentration of existing buildings and limited space for new constructions. "LEED does involve some advantages in cities ... associated with size," says Russell Unger, executive director of the New York chapter of USGBC.

To support green building, major cities such as New York and Los Angeles are offering financial incentives such as grants and tax credits. While only two buildings in New York City are certified under Version 2.0, six have already registered for EBOM and many more are in the pipeline: CodeGreen is now working with Monday Properties to register two buildings in Manhattan.

Preparing for Change

Although it is still early in the game, Armstrong's Baker expects some new challenges with EBOM: "We know more of what's required so we will spend more time making sure our building systems are operating as designed while reviewing the sustainable policies and procedures that we developed specific to the next building," he says. Armstrong is evaluating the next building on its campus to go through the certification process and has installed metering devices to get a baseline on the building's operational systems. The EB Platinum rated headquarters building will also be recertified under EBOM.

As the focus on energy and water efficiency is strengthened, facilities managers may need to invest in efficient plumbing and lighting systems to achieve credits. "The key is to know what your energy profile [and] usage look like before you start changing anything," says Baker. Resources such as Energy Star Portfolio Manager can track and assess energy and water consumption across a company's entire portfolio of buildings.

One tip: although commissioning is no longer a prerequisite, Great Forest's Dengler argues it is still a must for anyone who is serious about sustainability. Commissioning a typical commercial office building can easily cost over $100,000 in areas such as New York City.

Yet Opitz says it quickly pays for itself, enabling building systems to function better, which means fewer service calls, and more comfortable and marketable properties. Other advantages such as the increased marketability of a space, asset value, tenant retention, and employee satisfaction can also be factored into ROI considerations, says Regan. In a CodeGreen survey, 79 percent of respondents said they would pay at least 5 percent more in rent for a LEED Silver rated building.

An added boon: more federal, state and local governments incentives are available to alleviate the costs of commissioning and energy modeling. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, for instance, operates a 50/50 co-fund program.

Simple changes such as having a green cleaning program (ex. using Green Seal products) can also earn credits. Many sustainable services and products, previously sold at a higher premium, are now priced on par with traditional counterparts.

As the EB landscape evolves, Baker says communication will be key in keeping parties abreast of the company's goals. "Educating building occupants on the new policies and procedures as well as educating management was also [a challenge] and continues to be an ongoing process," he says. To help get past the bottleneck in expertise, USGBC offers regular workshops and educational courses; the New York chapter is working with contractors and unions to update professionals on the new framework.

As building professionals get up to speed on the new LEED requirements, the framework will continue to evolve to meet the changing needs of the market. EBOM is certainly not going to be the last version for Existing Buildings, but it shows promise of bringing green building practices to an enormous market. "The wood has caught fire," says Unger, "and it's getting hot."

Venessa is a business writer and editor based in New York City. She currently works as a freelance writer and has been published in Forbes.com, Newsweek Select, Business China (by the Economist Intelligence Unit) and Corporate Board Member.

~JFF - Various news stories on 811 collected from several sources

June 27, 2008
from: MyDesert.com
The Desert Sun Newspaper, Palm Springs, CA

Senate backs Palm Desert's energy plan

Jake Henshaw -
Desert Sun Sacramento Bureau

The Senate decided Thursday that Palm Desert and other California cities should be able to provide up-front financing for energy-saving home improvements.
Assembly Bill 811, approved on a 29-5 vote, would allow interested cities and counties statewide to use a property tax-like approach to finance solar panels, dual pane windows and energy-efficient air conditioning.

"I am very enthusiastic and appreciative of the Senate," Palm Desert City Councilman Jim Ferguson said in a phone interview.
Sen. Denise Ducheny, D-San Diego, voted for the bill, and Sen. Jim Battin, R-La Quinta, who wasn't on the floor, did not vote.

"Anything we can do to reduce the cost of energy and increase the use of renewables, we need to do to reduce our dependence on oil," Ducheny said, adding "efficiency actually saves money for people while you're at it."
Battin said he missed the vote because he was flying home on the one direct flight daily from Sacramento to the Coachella Valley. He said he booked the flight after being told the Senate wouldn't vote on bills Thursday, only to learn just minutes before he left that AB 811 was coming up.

If he had been on floor, however, Battin said he would have voted for the bill after initial concerns that a city could be "on the hook for taking on bad loans."

But Battin concluded, after heavy lobbying by the city lobbyist, that the "city's role was not so much that they would be at risk."
No one spoke against the bill before the vote, but Sen. Dennis Hollingsworth, R-Murrieta, who opposed the bill, said in an interview that the private sector could provide this service more effectively.

AB 811 by Assemblyman Lloyd Levine, D-Van Nuys, is a voluntary plan intended to clarify that cities and counties may designate areas where interested residents or businesses would be eligible for up-front financing provided by cities to install renewable energy facilities such as solar panels.

The loan would be tied to an assessment constituting a lien against the property where the improvements are made and would be repaid on a schedule and at a rate negotiated between the borrower and the sponsoring city. If a person sells a home before paying off the loan, the loan stays with the property.

The bill next returns to the Assembly for a final vote before going to the governor.

Desert Sun Reporter K Kaufmann contributed to this story.



April 13, 2008
Energy bill moving through Senate
Proposed law would provide loans for home improvements

K Kaufmann •
The Desert Sun •

Hoping to ease Palm Desert's energy financing bill through the state Senate, City Councilman Jim Ferguson took a trip Thursday to Sacramento.
After flying through the state Assembly in a mere three weeks, the proposal known as Assembly Bill 811 has hit a bit of a bump in the Senate.

The proposal would allow cities to provide residents with low-interest loans for energy-efficient home improvements - like solar panels or high-efficiency air conditioners - with a long-term payback linked to property tax payments.

The bill, which got a 55-12 vote in the Assembly in January, is now headed for a hearing in the Senate Local Government Committee in early May and could still be on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's desk by the end of May, Ferguson said.

The bill had been temporarily hamstrung by questions about which Senate committee should hold hearings on it - a common occurrence in the Legislature, said Brian Weinberger, a consultant for the Local Government Committee.
"Sometimes to get something done, you have to camp out outside an office and bird-dog a bill," he said after meeting with Local Government Committee staff.

"The bill had been referred to the Energy Committee for obvious reasons," Weinberger said. "(But) the policy question that lies at the core of the bill lies more within the local government (area)."
Palm Desert officials are pushing hard to get the bill passed as an "urgency measure," which means it would go into effect as soon as the governor signs it. The city could then have its own energy-efficiency financing program up and running this summer, said Patrick Conlon, director of the energy management.

"We are putting together the business documents for the program on a parallel path with the progress of the legislation," Conlon said. "After the governor signs (the bill) we want to have the program up and running within 30 days."

An ambitious plan
The impetus for the bill grew out of Palm Desert's ambitious plan to cut energy use in the city by 30 percent in five years. The city is partnering with Southern California Edison and the Gas Company on the project, which began last year. Both companies have offered residents special rebates for energy-efficient home improvements, with limited results.

End-of-year figures for 2007 showed the city falling short of its first-year goals by about 28 percent. Residents were quick to adopt more convenient and affordable efficiency measures, like changing to compact fluorescent bulbs, but balked at high-ticket projects, like replacing air conditioning systems.

The city began looking for a way to couple low-interest loans with a repayment scheme linked to property tax payments, consulting with a special counsel, Richards, Watson & Gershon of Los Angeles, said City Manager Carlos Ortega.
The City of Berkeley is piloting a similar program, offering residents low-cost loans to install solar panels.
But Palm Desert officials went for a change in state law on the advice of the special counsel because they wanted residents to be able to use the loans for other kinds of energy efficient improvements, said Ortega.
"We want to do air conditioners and all these things," Ortega said. "Given our weather, you get the most bang for your buck by doing things before you do (solar)."

Looking for support
The city drafted the bill late in 2007 and found immediate support from Assemblyman Lloyd E. Levine, D-Van Nuys, chair of the Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee and a staunch solar advocate.
Along with Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia, R-Cathedral City, who signed on as a co-author, Levine shepherded the bill through the Assembly in record time.
The bill got the two-thirds vote it needed in the Assembly to become an urgency measure; a similar two-thirds vote will be needed in the Senate.

"We need to garner 27 votes," said Anthony Gonsalves, the city's Sacramento lobbyist, who will meet with key senators to try to win support for the bill.
Topping the list will be Sen. Gloria Negrete McLeod, D-Chino, who chairs the Local Government Committee, and Sen. Jim Battin, R-La Quinta.
"He hasn't taken a position," said Bill Lohr, Battin's communications director. "He has some concerns that need to be met before he makes a decision."

McLeod has yet to review the bill, said Alfonso Sanchez, a consultant on her staff.
But, he said, "Any bill that serves to make the air better in our district, she'll be looking to support."
Schwarzenegger has also taken no position on the bill, said Rachel Cameron, a spokeswoman for the governor.

Even if it becomes law, the success of AB 811 could hinge on the economy - and whether people are willing to take out the loans, however low cost and easy to pay back, in today's unsettled home mortgage market.
Ferguson argues that ensuring affordable financing for energy efficiency makes sense for cities and individual homeowners, especially in a down economy.

"We have to be damn good at explaining this to people," he said. "When they do the math, the loans will save money, pay for their efficiency, add equity to their homes and put money in their pockets at the end of the day."

The savings*
Homeowners making energy-efficient upgrades would get low- interest home equity loans from the city, for example, $12,000 at 6 percent.Repayment of the debt would be added to the resident's property tax bill. Over a 30-year period, it would add about $900 a year to the resident's tax bill, or about $75 a month.

Exact figures on savings from specific energy-efficient improvements would vary, depending on the season, but would likely be more than $75 per month.Residents who decide to sell would be able to pay off the loan balance or the new owner can assume it, possibly asking for a price adjustment as part of sale negotiations.





January 29, 2008
Levine Measure to Expand the Use of Solar Power in California Clears State Assembly

Desert Sun - California Political Desk

SACRAMENTO – By a 55 to 12 vote, the California State Assembly today passed legislation by Assemblymember Lloyd Levine (D-Van Nuys) that would help finance the upfront costs for solar power and other energy efficiency improvements by authorizing cities to provide low interest loans to property owners with long-term repayments added to their annual property tax bills.

Assembly Bill 811 stipulates that homeowners and small businesses wishing to participate in the program would only be required to repay the cost of their project plus a small fee to administer the program. Under the bill, a city could provide funding for projects from a bond or a loan that would be repaid through voluntary fees on participating owners´ annual property tax bills.

"This measure is vital for California´s energy future because solar power produces the most energy on the days of the year we most need electricity," said Assemblymember Levine, who serves as Chair of the Assembly´s Utilities and Commerce Committee. "If we can place solar panels on more homes and businesses across the state we will dramatically reduce strain on the grid on the hottest days of the summer and reduce the price spikes in electricity associated with those hot days.

"This is why the Legislature, the Governor, and the PUC created the California Solar Initiative," Levine continued. "With a little help to create a larger market for solar power today, the entire solar industry should be able to lower costs and become self sufficient within 10 years. At that point we should have 3000 MW of solar capacity online in the state. And on a hot day, those solar megawatts could be the difference between the lights staying on and rolling blackouts."

In 2006, the Legislature approved Senate Bill 1 (Murray/Levine) Chapter 132, Statutes of 2006. SB 1 was the final piece needed for the state to implement the California Solar Initiative (CSI), a program to place 3,000 megawatts of solar electricity in California by 2017.

The CSI provides property owners financial incentives to offset the costs of solar electricity in the early years of the program. The money available for distribution decreases each year until the funds are exhausted in 2017.

The goal of the CSI is to help establish the solar industry in California, so that when the CSI ends the solar industry can remain cost-effective without the need for government subsidies. While the CSI and other federal subsidies have made solar power more affordable, these incentives only offset a portion of the upfront costs of installation.

Although, over time solar pays for itself, property owners who want to invest in the technology today continue to struggle to pay for its high initial cost. AB 811 is needed to ensure that all cities and counties in California have the authority to carry out a financing program to pay for solar power and other energy efficiency improvements through voluntary fees on owners´ properties.

Last November, Berkeley´s City Council approved a plan similar to this bill. Soon after that, city officials from San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Santa Monica, and Palm Desert looked into creating similar programs. Assembly Bill 811 will next be heard in the Senate.



Chula Vista and Saratoga Latest California Cities to Adopt Green Building Rules
Downtown Chula Vista

Two more California cities, Chula Vista and Saratoga, have joined the nearly three dozen cities statewide that have adopted green building rules. The Chula Vista City Council recently pledged to become the first municipality in San Diego County with green building standards for all new construction and major renovations.

City Council members voted unanimously to require energy- and water-efficient construction standards as part of a proposal from the city’s Climate Change Working Group, a commission led by resident Richard Chavez. City staff will spend the next 90 days working out details.

The proposal adopted by the city council includes requiring businesses to have regular energy audits, developing a solar energy program to help residents and businesses install photovoltaic systems, coordinating with local water authorities to convert grass lawns to water-saving rock and shrub landscapes, facilitating smart growth and converting the city’s fleet to high-efficiency vehicles.

The City of Saratoga’s new green building policy will require all newly constructed or renovated city-owned facilities over 5,000 square feet to meet the U.S. Green Building Council’s requirements for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver certification.

The policy is modeled on recommendations in the Santa Clara County Cities Association’s “Near-term Policy on Green Building Strategy,” and will help to streamline the green building process. Building permit applicants will need to complete a green building checklist, which will help the City Council track the growth of sustainable building practices in Saratoga, while also helping building permit applicants identify opportunities to incorporate green building elements into their projects.

Read background on the Chula Vista and Saratoga (PDF, 31 KB) green building policies

Read more: “Report: Green Building Easiest Way to Cut Carbon” (e-Newswire, 4/2/08)

Read more: “Green Building Programs Up 400% in U.S. Cities, Report Finds” (e-Newswire, 12/12/07)

Read Flex Your Power’s Best Practices Guide for Local Governments