Something tells me a lot of Berkeley enviros are going to regret their stance when it comes time to sell their homes and they get hit with $10K in required "green" upgrades. I'm also curious as to what the city will do when city employees demand entry for "inspection" and homeowners tell them to get bent.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/04/22/BAD6176LJ6.DTLBerkeley councilors: Home upgrades not required
Carolyn Jones, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Berkeley officials Tuesday stood by their plan to require homeowners to make extensive energy efficiency improvements to their homes, but appeared to back off the more costly elements of the proposal.
"Our goal is to get into everyone's home with a checklist of cost-efficient improvements," said the city's planning director, Dan Marks. "But I don't see us forcing people to spend $30,000."
Depending on the house and the residents' energy habits, the improvements could be as little as $100 for caulking and sealant, or upward of $30,000 for a new roof, windows, appliances and furnace.
The upgrades are part of the city's 145-page Climate Action Plan, which the City Council was expected to approve Tuesday night. In addition to home improvement requirements, the plan calls for a broad range of Earth-friendly programs intended to help the city meet its Measure G goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050.
The portion of the plan that applies to home improvements sparked an uproar this week from residents fearful the city would require them to spend large sums on new windows and other pricey amenities.
They may have to in the next 10 to 15 years, but probably not now, Marks said.
"Right now we're talking more in the $10,000 range," he said, noting that the improvements would only be required when a home is sold or remodeled, but that in the future, the improvements would be required of all homes. "If we're going to meet these Measure G goals, we've got to get into people's homes."
Several council members said they'd back off language in the plan that requires homeowners to upgrade.
"No one's going to show up at your door with a clipboard and force you to spend $30,000," said City Councilwoman Linda Maio. "That was never the intent of this plan."
Maio planned to ask city staff to strike the word "require" and replace it with "set a goal" and add that the city should "create a benchmark, track and report on the implementation progress at regular intervals."
Councilman Jesse Arreguin said the home improvements are a suggestion, not a requirement.
"The language is a little ambiguous," he said. "But we certainly don't want to burden homeowners, especially in this economy."
But most at City Hall agreed that Berkeley will continue to aggressively crusade for environmental improvements.
"We're not backing off this," Marks said. "We're very certain we're going to have to get there."
E-mail Carolyn Jones at carolynjones@sfchronicle.com.
