Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council. Submitted by: Dan Marks, Director, Planning and Development Department

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1 Office of the City Manager WORK SESSION October 19, 2010 To: From: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council Phil Kamlarz, City Manager Submitted by: Dan Marks, Director, Planning and Development Department Subject: The Berkeley Best Builders Green Building Program INTRODUCTION The Office of Energy and Sustainable Development s (OESD) Berkeley Best Builders (BBB) Program seeks to make green building business as usual in the new construction and remodel market by helping Berkeley builders, property owners and building managers optimize resource efficiency and green building opportunities in the built environment. The program assists enhancement of minimum green building standards and encourages innovation by removing barriers and providing technical assistance to encourage innovative green practices and technologies. OESD, in close collaboration with the Building Official, has integrated green building into the Permit Service Center operations. Over the past two years, the program has successfully met many of the objectives of the Berkeley Green Building Initiative 1 and the Climate Action Plan by enhancing mandatory minimum standards and encouraging innovation in energy efficiency and green building. SUMMARY In February of 2009, OESD hired a Temporary Senior Green Building Inspector to work with the Building and Safety Division to integrate best practices for permitting green building measures as standard procedures in the Permit Service Center. Moving forward, OESD has a permanent 0.4 FTE Green Building Inspector who will continue to improve minimum requirements and encourage innovation by providing green building consultations, technical training and assistance, analysis of new codes and research on green building standards. Enhance Mandatory Minimum Standards. OESD provides technical assistance and public outreach to assist Building and Safety with implementation of the State s energy and green codes. In addition, enhancements to the minimum energy standards for existing buildings are being proposed as revisions to Section of the Berkeley 1 The Berkeley Green Building Initiative, developed in collaboration with community groups, was adopted by Council in The goal of the Initiative is to make green building business as usual for new Construction and remodels in Berkeley Milvia Street, Berkeley, CA Tel: (510) TDD: (510) Fax: (510) manager@ci.berkeley.ca.us Website:

2 The Berkeley Best Builders Green Building Program WORK SESSION October 19, 2010 Municipal Code, Residential Energy Conservation Ordinance, presented under separate report. Encourage Innovation in Energy Efficiency and Green Building. OESD collaborates with Building and Safety to increase demand for green and efficient building measures by removing barriers and providing technical assistance. Many green building measures are not clearly addressed in the building code, such as graywater and green roofs, creating uncertainties and delays for customers and staff. The BBB program conducts research and provides guidance and technical assistance on green measures. Green Building consultations are required for Use Permit applicants, to help people identify opportunities to maximize health, comfort, durability and resource efficiency in their building projects. CURRENT SITUATION AND ITS EFFECTS In February of 2009, OESD hired a Temporary Senior Green Building Inspector who has worked closely with the Building Official to integrate green building best practices as standard procedures in the Permit Service Center. All Permit Service Center staff have been trained on green building measures and standards. All Building and Safety staff and many Permit Specialists have been trained as Certified Green Building Professionals by Build It Green. Moving forward, OESD has a permanent 0.4 FTE Green Building Inspector who will continue to provide green building consultations, technical training and assistance as well as analysis of new codes and research on green building standards. Enhance Mandatory Minimum Standards. In close collaboration with the Building and Safety Division, OESD assists with analysis of the energy and green building codes as they are adopted by the State on a regular three-year cycle. The 2008 Energy Code, effective January 1, 2010, was estimated to be 10 to 15 percent more stringent than the previous code with tighter standards for design and installation of energy efficiency measures. The new 2010 California Green Building Code (CalGreen), which becomes effective January 1, 2011, creates new mandatory provisions that will be required for all new construction (with the exception of residential buildings of four stories or more). OESD assisted the Building and Safety Division with the development of standards, guidelines and outreach material, as well as training City staff. Accomplishments include: Developing insulation installation standards to assure that installation performs to code. Education and training has been provided to City staff and Permit Service Center customers. Amending the Construction and Demolition Debris Salvage and Recycling policy to align with CalGreen. Amendments to Chapter of the Berkeley Municipal Code are proposed in a separate report. Developing outreach material on new mechanical ventilation required by the 2008 Energy Code. Page 2

3 The Berkeley Best Builders Green Building Program WORK SESSION October 19, 2010 Enhancing the Residential Energy Conservation Ordinances to increase minimum efficiency standards for existing buildings undergoing remodel or transfer of ownership. Encourage Innovation in Energy Efficiency and Green Building. In order to encourage innovation and increase demand for green building measures, OESD provides consultations, resource referral, training, outreach and guidelines to help property owners, managers, and builders identify green opportunities and integrate them into their building projects. Guidelines, permitting procedures and outreach material have been developed to streamline the permitting process. Accomplishments during the past 18 months include: Providing green consultations for an average of 12 Use Permit applicants per month to review relevant green building guidelines and identify opportunities and resources. Approximately 80% of customers responding to a survey report that the consultation was beneficial to their projects. Training on green building and energy efficiency best practices and permitting guidelines for all Permit Service Center staff. Development of guidelines for graywater systems based on the recently-adopted State Graywater Code to help Berkeley property owners understand these new and less restrictive requirements. Identifying standards for vegetative green roofs, which are not currently addressed in the Building Code, and developing policies and guidelines to assist customers understand how to design a green roof. Developing policies and guidelines for rainwater catchment systems, which are not currently addressed in the Building Code, to help customers understand how to design a rainwater catchment system based on nationally recognized standards. Developing outreach material available at the Permit Service Center and the OESD website, with permitting guidelines for solar installations, alternative plumbing systems, vegetative roof and whole house energy upgrades. Assisting customers with the Alternative Methods and Materials Requests reports to demonstrate green measures not addressed in the code are equivalent to health and safety standards. Creating a permanent 0.4 FTE Green Building Inspector position to provide green building consultation and technical assistance to staff and customers on an on-going basis. BACKGROUND Enhance Minimum Standards. While some jurisdictions have adopted local energy codes that exceed Title 24, Berkeley has prioritized developing best practices to ensure that buildings perform to current code. This approach, consistent with recommendation of the California Energy Commission to effectively implement the current code prior to establishing higher standards, has resulted in specialized training for inspectors and outreach material to contractors for design and installation of energy efficiency measure Page 3

4 The Berkeley Best Builders Green Building Program WORK SESSION October 19, 2010 that optimize effectiveness. OESD is currently working with Building and Safety Division on standards and strategies for effective implementation of the CalGreen code. Encourage Innovation. While the City maintains ambitious sustainable development and green building goals, the permitting process for innovative green technologies, especially ones not specified in the Building Code, can be complex and time consuming for both customers and staff. The temporary full-time Senior Green Building Inspector has worked with the Building and Safety Division to remove barriers to permitting green measures. The on-going component of the BBB program provided by the permanent 0.4 FTE Green Building Inspector is green building technical assistance for Berkeley builders, homeowners, City staff and regional partners. With the creation of the in-house position, the City has been able to transfer the green building consultations from Build It Green to the Green Building Inspector. The consultation, required as a condition of obtaining a Use Permit, helps identify green opportunities related to the project scope. Over 250 consultations have been conducted over the past 18 months. Survey results indicate that 80% of customers satisfied agree and strongly agree that the consultation helped improve their projects. The Green Building Inspector also assists with required green building checklists and approving green technology not covered by code. New dwelling units are required to complete and review a GreenPoint Rated green building checklist and provide the rating as part of their use permit application submittal. Green Alternate Methods and Material Requests (AMMR) are often required for innovative green measures that are not addressed in the Berkeley s building code. The Green Building Inspector provides guidance on preparation of the AMMRs to customers provide the information needed by Building and Safety. POSSIBLE FUTURE ACTION Enhance Minimum Standards Future Action. Following amendments to RECO, OESD will evaluate the effectiveness of the Commercial Energy Conservation Ordinance and identify opportunities to enhance Title 24 energy requirements, beyond those provided in the Energy Code. Encourage Innovation Future Action. The BBB program will continue to provide green building consultations to Use Permit applicants, assist with AMMRs for green measures and develop guidelines and policies for innovative measures. Opportunities to expand the green building consultations for all building projects will also be explored. FISCAL IMPACTS OF POSSIBLE FUTURE ACTION The Berkeley Best Builders Green Building Program work plan for FY11 includes the on-going provision of consultation services, technical assistance and help with green AMMRs, as well as analysis of opportunities for CECO enhancement. Page 4

5 The Berkeley Best Builders Green Building Program WORK SESSION October 19, 2010 CONTACT PERSON Billi Romain, Sustainability Coordinator, Planning Department, Attachments: 1. Graywater and Rainwater Catchment System Public Outreach Flyer 2. Solar Permitting Guide 3. Home Performance Guide Page 5

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