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ORDINANCE NO. 4 4 5
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE TOWN OF LOS ALTOS HILLS
ADOPTING ENERGY EFFICIENCY STANDARDS FOR ALL NEW PRIMARY
DWELLINGS AND SECONDARY DWELLINGS [WHERE PROPOSED AS PART OF A
NEW PRIMARY DWELLING]
RECITALS
Whereas the state of California imposes energy efficiency requirements for residential buildings
through California Code of Regulations Title 24; and
Whereas, Title 24 contemplates the adoption and enforcement by local governments of more
stringent local standards, subject to certain conditions, and
Whereas, Public Resources Code Section 25402.1(h) requires, for city energy conservation
standards, a submittal to the California Energy Commission of the city's basis for its
determination that the local standard is cost-effective, as well as a finding by the Energy
Commission that the local standard will result in the diminution of energy consumption levels
relative to the standards adopted by the Energy Commission, and
Whereas,to the extent the requirements of a local energy conservation standard are deemed to
constitute changes or modifications to the requirements of the California Building Standards
Code and the other regulations adopted pursuant to Health and Safety Code section 17922, the
enacting agency must find that provisions of the local standard are reasonably necessary because
of local climatic, geological, or topographical conditions,
NOW, THEREFORE,The City Council of the Town of Los Altos Hills does ordain as follows:
SECTION ONE: Amendment to Title 8 Building ReRegulations
Title 8 Chapter 1.7 "Energy Efficiency Standards for Single Family Dwellings"
8-1.70 Background
a. All buildings must meet or exceed the energy efficiency requirements contained in
the 2005 California Building Energy Efficiency Standards, including California Code
of Regulations, Title 24, Parts 1 and 6 (the"Standards"). The Building Department is
the local enforcement agency for the Standards. This Article requires the application
of the Standards, including but not limited to the definitions, procedures, forms,
manuals and alternative calculation methods ("ACMs") associated with the
Standards. In addition, this Article establishes a more stringent locally-adopted
energy efficiency standard, as described herein, as contemplated by the Standards.
b. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)has established a
performance standard for Energy Star Certified Homes as those single family homes
independently-demonstrated to be 15%more efficient than the otherwise-applicable
state requirements.
Town of Los Altos Hills Local Energy Standards Ordinance
May 11,2006
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c. The intent of this Article is to require that subject dwellings be designed to achieve
energy consumption 15% lower than would be required under the otherwise-
applicable Standards, through energy efficiency measures, achieving performance
comparable to the Energy Star standard, or by offsetting consumption with
photovoltaic power production on site, or through a combination.
d. Buildings Covered The provisions of this Article shall apply to all new primary
dwellings and secondary dwellings, where proposed as part of a primary dwelling, for
which a building permit has not been applied for and accepted as complete by the
Building Department prior to June 30, 2006. The provisions of this Article do not
apply to new construction in existing primary dwellings.
8-1.71 Definitions
a. Grid means the electrical distribution and transmission system in Los Altos Hills.
b. Photovoltaic Power Generation Facility means a facility that converts sunlight into
electricity through the utilization of semiconductor cells.
c. Solar Thermal Energy Facility means a facility that converts radiant energy from
the sun into useful thermal energy including heated water.
d. TDV Energy Use means the dwelling's combined space and water heating energy
use (electricity kWh,natural gas therms, or fuel oil or LPG gallons) for each energy
type, expressed as time-dependent valuation Btu-equivalent energy, or kBtu TDV
Energy,per square foot of conditioned floor area per year, using the actual glazing
area, orientation, and distribution, and its actual energy conservation and other
features, including the actual water-heating, space-conditioning equipment and duct
conditions and locations, of the dwelling's proposed design, determined pursuant to
the Performance Standards compliance approach in the Standards.
e. Conditioned Floor Area means the floor area(in square feet) of enclosed
conditioned space, whether conditioned directly or indirectly, on all floors of the
dwelling,whether or not the space is above grade or below grade and whether or not
the space is habitable, as measured at the floor level of the exterior surfaces of
exterior walls enclosing the conditioned space, as defined in the Standards.
f. PV Credit means the TDV Energy credit applicable to the dwelling for a
Photovoltaic Power Generation Facility in the proposed design that is capable
supplying electricity directly to buildings on the site and is connected,through a
reversible meter,to the Grid. The amount of PV Credit under this Article is defined as
Wo multiplied by 13.262 kBtu/sf-yr TDV Energy, where Wo is a unitless value
calculated as 1000 multiplied by the nominal rating of the proposed Photovoltaic
Power Generation Facility in kiloWatts and divided by the total conditioned floor area
of the dwelling.
Town of Los Altos Hills Local Energy Standards Ordinance
May 11,2006
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e •
Wo = [Nominal Rating of PV Facility ink x 1,000
� g tY( � j
Conditioned Floor Area(in square feet)
PV Credit(in kBtu/sf-yr TDV Energy) =Wo
x 13.262
g. Baseline TDV Energy Budget means the combined maximum allowable space and
water heating energy budgets for the dwelling using the standard design determined
pursuant to the Performance Standards compliance approach in the Standards,
expressed in kBtu/sf-yr TDV Energy.
h. Local TDV Energy Budget means the basic energy efficiency requirement for Los
Altos Hills, and is equal to 15%less than the Baseline TDV Energy Budget,
expressed in kBtu/sf-yr TDV Energy.
8-1.72 Performance Compliance Approach
a. Dwellings subject to this Article shall meet all of the following:
1. Either
(i) Energy Star Certified Home rating from the EPA or an entity
designated by the EPA such as a local utility, or
(ii) TDV Energy Use minus any applicable PV Credit equal to or less than
the Local TDV Energy Budget, demonstrated pursuant to the Performance
Standards compliance approach in the Standards, or
(iii) Energy consumption 15% lower than California Energy Efficiency
Standards (Title 24)
2. TDV Energy Use equal to or less than the Baseline TDV Energy Budget,
demonstrated pursuant to the Performance Standards compliance approach in
the Standards.
3. All other provisions applicable to new low-rise residential buildings
contained in the California Building Energy Efficiency Standards.
b. The permit applicant shall submit to the Building Official with the building permit
application the following:
1. The standard Title 24 CF-1R Report showing the TDV Energy Budget of
the dwelling incorporating the standard design and the TDV Energy Use of the
dwelling incorporating the proposed design and any Title 24 compliance margin
and any requirements for verification.
2. Calculations using Special Permit Form available from the Building
Department to document, explain, and justify the dwelling's TDV Energy Use
Town of Los Altos Hills Local Energy Standards Ordinance
May 11,2006
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and any PV Credit to the Building Department for approval. These calculations
may be retained by the Building Department.
8-1.73 Exceptions
All buildings must meet or exceed the energy efficiency requirements contained in the
2005 California Building Energy Efficiency Standards, including California Code of
Regulations, Title 24, Parts 1 and 6 (the"Standards"). However, the Building Oficial
shall have the power to grant exceptions to the strict application of the more stringent
locally adopted energy efficiency standard of this chapter in cases where due to special
conditions or exceptional characteristics of the structure or property involved, a literal
enforcement of the provisions of this chapter would result in practical difficulties or
unnecessary hardships;provided, however, no such exceptions shall be granted unless the
Building Official shall find that the granting of such exception will not be contrary to the
intent of the provisions of this chapter.
SECTION 2: Findings Pursuant to Public Resources Code section 25402.2 and Health and
Safety Code sections 17958.5, 17958.7 and 18941.5
The Town Council of Los Altos Hills, following a public meeting on April 27, 2006, has
determined that this ordinance is cost-effective. This finding is based upon the report prepared
for the California Energy Commission as follows.
The cost effectiveness of the local energy efficiency standard adopted under this
ordinance is based on the results of the following analysis.
The local energy efficiency standard adopted under this ordinance requires that new
homes be designed to achieve energy consumption 15%lower than would be required
under the Title 24 standards, either through energy efficiency measures, or by offsetting
consumption with photovoltaic power production on site, or through a combination.
According to a report entitled"Energy Conservation Study", dated March 14, 2006 and
prepared by James D. Fruit Senior Plans Examiner and Architect for CSG Consultants,
energy efficiency measures to achieve a 15% efficiency improvement relative to the Base
TDV Energy Budget in a representative 6,000 square foot home in Los Altos Hills would
increase the cost of the home by$4,602.00 to $5,614.00. Using assumed retail prices for
electricity of$.14/kWh and natural gas of$.70/therm,these measures were estimated to
result in an annual energy cost savings of$466.00 to 867.00 and a simple payback of
12.04 to 5.31 years.
Energy efficiency measures to achieve a 15% efficiency improvement relative to the Base
TDV Energy Budget in a representative 8,000 square foot home in Los Altos Hills would
increase the cost of the home by $12,604.00 to $15,377.00. Using assumed retail prices
for electricity of$.14/kWh and natural gas of$.70/therm, these measures were estimated
to result in an annual energy cost savings of$842.00 to $1,564.00 and a simple payback
of 18.26 to 8.06 years.
Town of Los Altos Hills Local Energy Standards Ordinance
May 11,2006
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The Los Altos Hills ordinance also allows a home to use a photovoltaic electric power
generation system to meet the local standard. These systems may offer a more or less
cost-effective alternative. In any case, energy efficiency measures, shown here to be cost-
effective, are always an available option.
To the extent the requirements of this ordinance are deemed to constitute changes or
q
modifications to the requirements of the California Building Standards Code and the other
regulations adopted pursuant to Health and Safety Code section 17922, the Town Council of Los
Altos Hills expressly finds, as a matter of public record,that provisions of this ordinance are
reasonably necessary because of local climatic, geological, or topographical conditions as
follows:
Los Altos Hills is located in Santa Clara County,which lies within California Building
Climate Zone 4. According to the Title 24 2005 Residential Compliance Manual, homes
in Climate Zone 4 are more likely to be air conditioned. Los Altos Hills is also located
within a US Climate Division 4 area,the California Central Coast Drainage. According to
the DOE,buildings in US Climate Division 4 are likely to expect to experience up to
2,000 cooling degree days and 5,500—7,000 heating degree days per year.
Los Altos Hills has relatively generous rules concerning house size. Accordingly,many
of the largest single-family homes in Santa Clara County are in or proposed for Los Altos
Hills. According to the MetroScan database, which relies on county assessor's records,
the average existing home size in Los Altos Hills is 4,212 square feet, over 50% greater
than the average of home sizes found in similar single family residential zone districts of
similar nearby cities in Santa Clara County including Los Altos, Los Gatos, Monte
Sereno, Palo Alto, and Saratoga.
Building permits for new homes issued in Los Altos Hills in recent years show a pattern
of larger homes as indicated in the graph on the next page:
Town of Los Altos Hills Local Energy Standards Ordinance
May 11,2006
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LAH Average Home Size
10000
9000 — ---- ------ -—
8000 786Q- -- - 7748-
d7000 ----------- ----._...ssas
6000
5000 536 5486
6 — — -
d) 4000 — -- — ----- --
3000 ---- —
2000 --- ----........---
1000
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
Year
Large single-family homes use more energy and resources per household. According to
PG&E,residences in Los Altos Hills had an average annual energy consumption of
14,571 kWh of electricity and 1,152 Therms of natural gas in 2005. By comparison,
residences in Santa Clara County overall averaged 6,447 kWh of electricity and 531
Therms of natural gas during the same period.
Informal research performed by the Los Altos Hills Environmental Initiatives Committee
has shown that 2.5 to 7.0 kWh per year per square foot is a representative electricity
consumption range for existing homes in Los Altos Hills. A very efficient 6,500 square
foot home at the low end of that range would still consume 16,250 kWh per year, still
well over the county average.
Santa Clara County has several housing developments where the builders will construct
all Energy Star Certified homes. Los Altos Hills is largely built-out, thus builders and
developers lack the opportunity here for multi-home developments incorporating energy
efficiency measures.
Thus local climate conditions,the prevalence of larger homes, and the lack of
opportunities for multi-home Energy Star developments in Los Altos Hills result in a
greater per-household burden on costly, uncertain energy supplies,pollution, and global
warming. Accordingly, it is reasonably necessary to enhance the State of California
energy code requirements for homes in Los Altos Hills.
Town of Los Altos Hills Local Energy Standards Ordinance
May 11,2006
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SECTION 3: Effective Date
This ordinance shall be and is hereby declared to be in full force and effect as of July 30, 2006,
or when the ordinance is approved by the California Energy Commission,whichever is later.
INTRODUCED: April 27 , 2006
PASSED: May 11, 2006
AYES: Mayor Kerr, Mayor Pro Tem Warshawsky, Counci_lmember. Jones,
Councilmember Mordo, and Councilmember O'Malley
NOES: None
ABSENT:None
ABSTENTIONS: None
ATTEST:
City Clerk Mayo
APPROV AS TO FORM: APPROV
City Atto y City Manager
Town of Los Altos Hills Local Energy Standards Ordinance
May 11,2006
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