San Mateo to reduce use of gas in homes and businesses

Reach codes refers to local building energy codes that go beyond state requirements, with the city’s 2019 codes expiring this year. The council directed staff to make new construction appliances all-electric, strengthening the current requirement that all new residential and office buildings be all-electric. Exceptions would be available for commercial kitchens and hotel and motel laundry services. It also called for additional codes for existing buildings, enforced when someone comes to the city for a permit.

The council followed staff recommendations calling for panel replacement in residential buildings to have breaker space for future electrification and that residential kitchen and laundry renovations include outlet installation for future electric appliances. It also will require the installation of heat pump air conditioning and heat pump water heater during renovations.

New pools must use electric or solar pool heating at residences, and there can be no extensions of fuel gas infrastructure for fire pits and grills. The council is increasing electric vehicle charging infrastructure in residential and non-residential buildings, including more level two electric vehicle charging stations. The city plans to introduce the ordinance and adopt it in October.

“I am extremely proud of the outcome of the meeting,” Councilmember Joe Goethals said. “The ordinance that’s going to come back to us that we are going to pass next month is bold and radical.”

While the new reach codes will bring changes, some community members felt the council must do more to strengthen existing building requirements quicker. Several students and community climate groups urged timelier action. One group is the San Mateo Climate Action Team, a volunteer group working to support climate change actions and solutions. The group formed in December 2021 and has actively worked on policies to decarbonize existing buildings and infrastructure. It has asked the city to pass a decarbonization ordinance to go further on existing buildings. According to Michelle Hudson, a co-leader of the group, it wants a requirement that all replacement of gas equipment in homes and businesses be electric or zero emissions in January 2025. The group wants the council to adopt an ordinance in 2022 with a delayed 2025 effective date to have sufficient time to line up support programs for federal financing and help from county joint powers authority Peninsula Clean Energy. Hudson said community outreach found community members favor more action. She said the group was disheartened the council didn’t heed calls from the community and the young generation.

“The go-slow approach is profoundly inappropriate,” Hudson said. “Sadly, this has become a victim of city bureaucracy.”

High school students Anjuli Mishra, Alex Wagonfeld and Charlotte Stewart of the San Mateo Youth Climate Action Team, spoke at the meeting and decried the decision.

“City Council members, there is no time for you to cower in a corner while the world burns,” Mishra and Wagonfeld said by email. “Stand up with us and inspire our generation. It is time for you to follow through on your promise to decarbonize existing buildings and eliminate methane gas use, pass policies now that make this a reality.”

Hudson questioned why the council called for more outreach, given the city has held a feedback process since April, including two Sustainability and Infrastructure meetings, community feedback meetings, a council meeting, and a city community survey.

“I don’t know what additional outreach is needed when we have had an open forum on this issue since April,” Hudson said.

Goethals disagreed with the characterization that the council did not do enough, noting it was interested in the ordinance, but the council had to give staff time to research and address public concerns. Goethals said drafting an ordinance without doing outreach on the specific ordinance aspects was not a good process. Goethals said any law that imposed radical change required more discussions on feasibility and the economic hardship on families in the community.

“You are passing an ordinance that isn’t worth much and is going to have to be modified because you didn’t take the time upfront,” Goethals said.

The city will evaluate the proposed ordinance it adopted in October, with Goethals noting the council would reexamine the issue in the spring.

“What I am taking away from that meeting is the City Council of San Mateo said we must electrify everything,” Goethals said. “The City Council is going to be thoughtful and work with staff to have a public engagement process, so we do it right, and we take into consideration the economic hardship that it might cause on some people.”

Climate change is a longtime city strategic priority, with calls for policies to decarbonize existing buildings and eliminate methane gas use in buildings by 2030 to limit carbon emissions, prompting the push for stricter reach codes. The current regulations require new construction to be all-electric for residential and office buildings. It also requires enhanced EV charging infrastructure for single-family and two-family townhomes, multifamily and non-residential buildings. The new codes would start in 2023 and go until the end of 2025.

From 2005 to 2017, San Mateo achieved an 18% decrease in emissions through adopting electric and more fuel-efficient vehicles and improved energy efficiency and water conservation. According to the city, transportation accounts for 50% of greenhouse gas emissions in San Mateo, followed by electricity and natural gas use in buildings at 34% of emissions. A typical San Mateo residence has the following breakdown of fossil gas usage per appliance: 55% for water heating, 36% for space heating, 6% for cooking, and 3% for clothes drying.

curtis@smdailyjournal.com

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