A P.S. to my note below:
The previous commenter who opposes these new zoning edits is also mistaken about air conditioning increasing climate pollution. That is false. Air conditioning uses electricity, and our electricity is 100% carbon free from our utility (Peninsula Clean Energy). We must work to continue to educate residents that our electrify is free of climate pollution and that PCE has made robust, long-term commitments to keep it that way. Hopefully this will put him at ease, at least to some extent.
Again, staff has proven that the current heat pump electric machines on the market will easily comply with our city’s existing noise ordinance (just like traditional gas and traditional air conditioners must do as well). Nobody is talking about increasing noise here anymore in this context. In fact, I’m about to replace my own, very outdated air conditioning unit that currently lives alongside my house; it’s very loud, and my new outside heat pump HVAC machine will be much, much quieter, as confirmed by my contractor just last week. In fact, as folks replace very old, outdated and noisy traditional equipment as I am doing myself, I would argue that neighbors will experience much less noise overall. I believe that my own neighbors will be pleased, as our old clunky A/C will no longer jolt on and then jolt off while delivering a very loud rattling noise in between.
The city has used the same public process it uses with all updates of this variety, as I understand it, and these code changes have been discussed publicly (at EQC, then again at Planning) both live and in staff reports for quite some time. Folks need permits to access the robust public subsidies on the market. We must ease permitting and zoning friction to enable folks to access these subsidies, which greatly reduce cost.
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Sincerely,
Angela Evans (she/her)
Begin forwarded message:
From: Angela Evans
>
Subject: Zoning Edits (K1) for Electrification: Crucial for Equity and Climate
Date: October 24, 2023 at 4:16:56 PM PDT
To: city.council@menlopark.gov
Dear City Council,
I serve on the Environmental Quality Commission (EQC) but am posting here as a resident.
Just a quick note to let Council and staff know that I support staff’s recommendations on K1 (zoning for electrification) as doing so will ease friction with respect to voluntary electrification in homes. Our Climate Action Plan requires us to do significant building electrification to meet our climate goals; only if we make our zoning edits doable and flexible for homeowners who wish to transition to electric versions will we move our city closer to its climate goals.
Heat pump electric machines, combined with available subsidies now available at the federal, state, and local levels, are now typically cheaper to install at replacement than to replace gas with gas versions. These machines are also more efficient, helping homeowners save money on their hot water bills, as it now takes less energy to create the same unit of heat than it did with a gas appliance. It is only fair and right for our city to make it easier for residents to choose heat pump electric versions that 1) are cheaper at installation with current subsidies; 2) have the strong potential, especially in the case of water heaters, to greatly reduce monthly utility bills. It is not “fair” to delay zoning code edits that greatly enable these savings any further (in response to a previous comment about fairness).
Staff is no longer asking the city to raise noise limits on the noise ordinance, and as an EQC member, I now agree with that. Staff provided data (during public meetings for EQC and at the Planning Commission) that it is not necessary to do so because the grand majority of the machines will already comply with the noise ordinance. The reason is that, per city code, appliances like these ones (including traditional air conditioners) are required to be at least 3 feet from the property line. Noise dissipates the further away it is from the property line. As I understand it, staff has measured noise dissipation due to distance, and the machines comply, just like traditional air conditioning units often comply (unless they are really old and outdated). Machines that are somehow still too loud can be covered in mainstream manufacturer-provided products, like weather proof, custom blankets, designed for this purpose.
I disagree with a previous commenter about the following: garages are, in fact, a very mainstream place to locate water heaters (both gas and heat pump electric). This is a common placement and for many good reasons too long to spell out here. Hopefully staff can weigh in on this live.
My only recommended edit is to add further flexibility, allowing the 3 x 3 water heater encroachments in the garage to not be restricted to the backwall. I think homeowners can make their own decisions about how to optimize their own personal garage space while still maintaining the city’s ordinance about no overnight parking.
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Sincerely,
Angela Evans