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CRT 2017 #48 · Communication to the City Council · Sep 18 2017
Letter from Donna P. Lopez, City Clerk transmitting a report from Councillor Jan Devereux, Chair of the Health and Environment Committee, for a public hearing held on September 6, 2017 to discuss the recently published “City of Cambridge Getting to Net Zero Action Plan: Fiscal Year 2016 Progress Report” and to receive a general update on the Net Zero Action Plan. Councillor Devereux stated that there is information in the report explaining how the City originally adopted the Net Zero Policy. It began with a citizen petition, and was later adopted by the City Council. The Community Development Department will be producing yearly progress reports to track movements on the way towards the ultimate Net Zero goal. This hearing is to discuss the first progress report
City of Cambridge
Getting to Net Zero Action Plan
FY 2016 Progress Report
Health and Environment Committee
September 6th, 2017
Susanne Rasmussen Director of
Environmental and Transportation Planning
Seth Federspiel Net Zero Energy Planner
Presentation Outline
Net Zero Action Plan Background
FY16 Progress Report
Current Activity and Next Steps
Net Zero Action Plan:
The Impetus
Significant construction activity in the city and concern that any
new development makes reducing GHGs harder, unless Net Zero
Zoning petition filed by residents requiring all new buildings to be
Net Zero or annual offsets required (Connolly Petition)
City Council instead charged Getting to Net Zero Taskforce with
developing plan within 12 months
Net Zero Action Plan adopted by Council on June 22, 2015
NET ZERO
TASK FORCE
Jane Carbone,
Inc.
Caitriona Cooke,
Program Director, Conservation Services Group
Henrietta Davis,
Resident and former Mayor of Cambridge
Emily Grandstaff-Rice,
Resident (2014), Boston Society of Architects,
Cambridge Seven Associates
Heather Henriksen,
Director of the Office for Sustainability, Harvard
University
Shawn Hesse,
Architect, Sustainability Expert at Emersion
Design
Marc Hoffman,
Resident and Energy Efficiency Advisor
Bill Kane,
Vice President of Leasing & Development, BioMed Realty
Andrea Love,
Resident, and Director of Building Science, Payette Architects
Paul Lyons,
Resident and President, Zapotec Energy, Inc.
Joseph Maguire,
V. P. of Development & Asset Management Services,
Alexandria Real Estate Equities
Julie Newman,
Director of Sustainability, Massachusetts Institute of
Technology
Tom Sieniewicz,
Resident and Planning Board member, City of Cambridge
Barun Singh,
Resident and Founder & CTO of Wegowise
Quinton Zondervan,
Resident and Executive Director, Climate Action Liaison
Coalition
Public & Stakeholder Input
Public Events
Series of Short
Primers on
Energy, Policy,
Renewables
Working Groups
formed
Long list of ideas
generated
Alignment &
Analysis of
Options
Prioritization
TASK FORCE
WORK PROGRAM
Recommendations
Early Action Items
Research
Presentation Outline
Net Zero Action Plan Background
FY16 Progress Report
Current Activity and Next Steps
Annual Report
Qualitative Action Updates
Quantitative Action Outputs
Quantitative Project Outcomes
Action Summary Template
FY16 Progress, Barriers, and Next Steps:
FY16 Goals:
Targeted achievements
Action 1
1. Energy Efficiency in Existing Buildings
1.1.1 Custom Retrofit Program
1.1.2 Additional BEUDO Requirements
1.1.3 Upgrades at Time of Renovation or Sale
1.1.4 Operations and Maintenance Plan
Requirement for New Construction
Reduce energy use in
buildings through
retrofits and improved
operations.
Action 1.1.1: Custom Retrofit Program
FY16 Progress, Barriers, and Next Steps:
FY16 Goals:
Examine the feasibility of a
multi-family pilot energy
retrofit program for
implementation in FY17
Action 2
2. Net Zero New Construction
2.2.1 Market-based Incentive Programs
2.2.2 Height + FAR Bonus
2.3 Increase Green Building Requirements
in the Cambridge Zoning Ordinance
Type:
Municipal
Residential
Multi-Family
Commercial
Institutional
Labs
Target year:
2020
2022
2025
2025
2025
2030
Require low carbon
new construction.
2.4.1 Net Zero Requirement for
New Construction
2.4.2 Deep Retrofits of Municipal
Buildings
2.5 Removal of Barriers to Increased
Insulation
Action 2.2.1: Market Based Incentive Program
FY16 Progress, Barriers, and Next Steps:
FY16 Goals:
Research the design and
feasibility of market-based
incentives to better
understand their impact and
potential effectiveness in the
Cambridge context.
Action 2.2.2: Height and FAR Bonus
FY16 Progress, Barriers, and Next Steps:
FY16 Goals:
Determine the feasibility of
offering height and/or FAR
bonuses to new Cambridge
buildings which commit to
pursuing net zero emissions.
Action 2.3: Increase Green Building Requirements in
Cambridge Zoning Ordinance
FY16 Progress, Barriers, and Next Steps:
FY16 Goals:
Amend the Cambridge Green
Building Requirements:
better.
6 Optimize Energy
Performance points
Enhanced Commissioning
Action 2.4.1: Net Zero Requirement for New Construction
of Municipal Buildings
FY16 Goals:
New municipal buildings
Buildings must be designed to
optimum energy efficiency
standards such that all or a
high percentage of energy
loads could be met by
renewable sources.
FY16 Progress, Barriers, and Next Steps:
Action 2.4.2: Renewal of Municipal Buildings
FY16 Goals:
Develop a phased municipal
building improvement strategy
prioritizing GHG reductions and
operational improvements are to
achieve targets established,
tracked, and continuously
updated by the Cambridge
Department of Public Works.
FY16 Progress, Barriers, and Next Steps:
Action 2.5: Removal of Barriers to Increased Insulation
FY16 Progress, Barriers, and Next Steps:
FY16 Goals:
Explore the best method to
allowing external insulation
in built-out compact
residential neighborhoods in
a manner sensitive to historic
preservation principles.
Action 3
3. Energy Supply
3.1 Low Carbon Energy Supply Strategy
3.2 Rooftop Solar Ready Requirement
3.3 Develop a Memorandum of
Understanding with Local Utilities
Replace fossil fuels with low
carbon energy sources.
Action 3.1: Low Carbon Energy Supply Strategy
FY16 Progress, Barriers, and Next Steps:
FY16 Goals:
Complete a Low Carbon
Energy Supply Strategy Study
to understand:
Current and future energy
demand needs
Opportunities and
pathways to transform
energy supply
Impacts and feasibility of
these pathways
Action 3.2: Rooftop Solar Ready Requirement
FY16 Progress, Barriers, and Next Steps:
FY16 Goals:
Complete a study to inform
the design of a rooftop solar
ready requirement for new
construction projects to
enable increased future solar
installations
Action 3.3: Develop a Memorandum of Understanding
with Local Utilities
FY16 Progress, Barriers, and Next Steps:
FY16 Goals:
Develop a memorandum of
understanding with
Eversource and Veolia based
on areas of mutual interest
and have senior officials meet
regularly to monitor and
manage progress.
Action 5
5. Engagement & Capacity Building
5.1 Communication Strategy
5.2 Develop Ongoing Capacity to Manage
Getting to Net Zero Project
5.3 Net Zero Lab Standards and
Maintenance Plan Requirement for New
Construction
Community involvement and
support.
Action 5.1: Communication Strategy
FY16 Progress, Barriers, and Next Steps:
FY16 Goals:
Develop and begin
implementation of a
comprehensive
communications strategy
around the Net Zero Action
Plan objectives and
components.
Integrate stakeholder
engagement and public
communications into each
Action as appropriate.
Action 5.2: Develop Ongoing Capacity to Manage
Getting to Net Zero Project
FY16 Progress, Barriers, and Next Steps:
FY16 Goals:
Assign and commit to specific
roles and responsibilities for
implementing the Net Zero
initiative over the long term,
including project leads for
each of the early actions,
research and implementation
partners, a reporting structure
and a governance structure to
ensure that the project remains
on track and consistent.
Action 5.3: Net Zero Lab Standards
FY16 Progress, Barriers, and Next Steps:
FY16 Goals:
Develop a working group of
industry stakeholders, research
institutions and industrial
hygienists to collaborate on
development and evaluation of
new standards for reducing
energy use that can be trialed
without compromising safety
or research integrity.
Presentation Outline
Net Zero Action Plan Background
FY16 Progress Report
Current Activity and Next Steps
Action 1.1.2: Additional BEUDO Requirements
Phase 1: Data assessment to examine best practices and
identify potential thresholds for requirements
Phase 2 (FY18): Stakeholder-based process to consider
requirements and enabling program
Action 4: Investigate Feasibility of Local Carbon Fund
Phase 1: Assessment of best practices and potential fund
parameters and project types
Phase 2 (FY18): Stakeholder-based process to establish fund
design and programming
FY17 New Actions
Complete Article 22 amendment package for Green
Building Requirements, Insulation Barriers, and Solar
Ready
Continue feasibility analysis of BEUDO Requirements and
voluntary Local Carbon Fund
Complete Low Carbon Energy Supply Study and
investigate implementation options
Complete Market Based Incentive Program research
FY18 Key Projects
Thank You!
www.cambridgema.gov/netzero