TO: Napa County Climate Action Committee
FROM: Brian D. Bordona, Director, Napa County Planning, Building & Environmental Services
REPORT BY: Ryan Melendez, Planner II, Sustainability
SUBJECT: Presentation: Peninsula Clean Energy - Cost Analysis of Building Energy Efficiency and Electrification Upgrades
RECOMMENDATION
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PRESENTATION: PENINSULA CLEAN ENERGY COST ANALYSIS OF BUILDING ENERGY EFFICIENCY UPGRADES AND SWITCHING FROM GAS TO ELECTRIC APPLIANCES
Staff requests that the Climate Action Committee receive a presentation from Blake Herrschaft, Building Electrification Program Manager with Peninsula Clean Energy on the costs, benefits, and on-bill savings when customers have made energy efficiency and electrification upgrades to buildings.
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ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: The proposed action is not a project as defined by 14 California
Code of Regulations 15378 (State CEQA Guidelines) and therefore CEQA is not applicable.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
According to the 2019 Napa County Regional Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory, buildings are the second largest source of GHG emissions in Napa County, accounting for 23% of total emissions. This percentage is higher for the incorporated cities/town and lower for the unincorporated county, as most buildings are in the incorporated jurisdictions.
To reduce emissions associated with the operation of buildings, three key strategies need to be implemented in building operations:
1. Improve the energy efficiency of buildings,
2. Switch from Methane (Natural Gas)-powered equipment to high-efficiency electric equipment, and
3. Provide emissions-free electricity to power the new electric equipment.
Many of the buildings in Napa County, and the greater San Francisco Bay Area, are relatively old with outdated appliances, equipment, and infrastructure. While there are many resources and incentives available to building owners to complete improvement projects, those resources can be difficult to navigate even for those who have the time and means to dedicate to improving their buildings. Additionally, while the incentives can help lower the cost of building improvements, much of the cost can still be borne unto property owners.
In August 2023, the Napa County Climate Action Committee recommended - to take back to each members’ respective jurisdictions - a proposed draft reach code of the State Building Energy Code, which would require newly developed buildings to meet a threshold of energy performance standards above-and-beyond what the California State Code requires. Constructing buildings to this standard can add upfront costs but is relatively comparable to standard construction practices; however, completing energy upgrades to an existing building can be much more labor and cost intensive for property owners. Costs can also vary widely depending on several factors including availability and quality of equipment, size of building and equipment, availability of knowledgeable and certified contractors to carry out the work, location, what type of climate you live in, and more.
As Napa County and its property owners prepare for the process of reducing climate pollution from buildings, several members of the CAC, and members of the public, have inquired about the average costs of completing building energy upgrade projects. Blake Herrschaft, a Building Electrification Programs Manager with Peninsula Clean Energy (PCE), will provide a presentation on analyses of the cost to property owners for energy efficiency improvements and electrification of buildings.
Blake leads key building electrification initiatives including reach codes and electrification programs. He has been working in the green building space for 15 years. His work has included mechanical and plumbing design, energy modeling, LEED consulting, water efficiency, zero net energy buildings, portfolio energy retrofits. Blake’s award-winning designs span five continents, and his first all-electric building was University of San Diego’s Torrero Field Ballpark.