Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutJanuary 27 Environmental Initiatives Committee Minutes DATE: Thursday, January 27, 2011 TIME: 7:00 PM LOCATION: Parks & Recreation Building, 26379 Fremont Road, Los Altos Hills 1. Roll Call Attendees: Andy Colman, Kunjan Shah, Peter Evans Community Members: Steve Schmidt, Sheela Veerina, Rick Weiss 2. Approval of Minutes Minutes were tabled until the next EIC meeting. 3. Earth Day April 17 Steve Schmidt indicated the participating towns will soon begin participant recruiting for the Acterra/High Energy Home assessment program. Atherton 2020 has established a web site to promote their program with the participation of well-known town residents and students earning community service credits. 4. LAH Green Building Ordinance & PV Ordinances – Update The next steps are to determine from the town what they need from the EIC to proceed (Andy) and to determine if the town has the authority to require energy consumption information for a property upon transfer (Peter). Kunjan and Steve noted that Efficiency First could be a resource. 5. LAH Fast Track Guide – possible recommendations Based on town council feedback from GHG emission inventory update on ___, the committee discussed possible recommendations for voluntary energy or sustainability measures to include in the fast track guide. Pool pump sized to re-circulate pool’s contents within 6-10 hours South or southwest-facing roof area with minimal shading during afternoon hours and 500-1000 square feet on a single facet (PV ready) Photovoltaic energy system sized for a) the project’s NOTICE TO PUBLIC Any writings or documents provided to a majority of the Environmental Initiatives Committee regarding any item on this agenda will be made available for public inspection in the City Clerk’s office located at Town Hall, 26379 Fremont Road, Los Altos Hills, California during normal business hours. estimated electricity consumption in PG&E’s top two rate tiers, b) the project’s estimated daytime electricity use, or c) the project’s entire estimated annual energy consumption 220V power supply in the garage for vehicle charging (EV ready) Solar thermal pre-heater for domestic hot water Centrally-located hot water heaters; no continuous recirc pumps Avoids large pumped decorative water systems Any whole-house lighting or AV systems have “low” standby loads EnergyStar/CEE Tier 1 appliances Demand response-ready – communicating thermostats, AC units, pool controls Passive solar design Lightstory or light-harvesting features PVs incorporated in site buildings Post-construction commissioning 3-bin space under sink Construction/deconstruction waste Remodel vs. demolish and rebuild The committee also discussed the merits of a new goal for the fast track guide addressing sustainability, which would support these specific measures more directly and permit greater specificity, to ensure the measure actually achieves the intended common benefit. Steve Schmidt noted that Portola Valley has included a sustainability element in the town’s General Plan 6. BACC Steering Committee 7. Educational Initiatives The committee discussed potential initiatives. Solar financing options, pool pumps, green building , and energy efficiency are ongoing topics around which the committee has sponsored outreach initiatives in the past. We could collaborate with Atherton 2020 for energy and environmental outreach. Atherton 2020 aslo has resources for schools (“Green Start”). A question is what would fund this activity after the Energy Efficiency Block Grant funds. 8. Election of Committee Officers 9. Public Comment Steve Schmidt provided a briefing from the update on GHG emission inventory provided to the town council on January 13. EIC Open items include a possible return to the town council with new recommendations (see Item #5), update of the PV project inventory, and re-check of the Foothill College energy consumption information presently included in the report. 10. Adjournment