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Council extends hot‑water exemption in heating ordinance; staff directed to prepare ordinance language and further research
Summary
The council instructed staff to draft ordinance language extending the temporary hot‑water exemption in the city’s heating and service-water-heating rules for certain building types and to research technology and cost implications; the motion passed 3–1 with one absence.
Councilors directed staff to prepare ordinance language to extend a temporary exemption for service hot-water systems in the city’s 2022 heating and service-water-heating ordinance and asked staff to do additional technical research before a formal ordinance vote.
Bettina Migas, Climate Action Manager, summarized the ordinance background and the original exemption: “This ordinance was approved on 11/07/2022. It took effect 02/15/2023,” she said, adding that the ordinance required renewable primary heating systems and renewable service-water-heating systems and that the 2-year hot-water exemption had expired on 02/15/2025.
Staff told councilors the exemption was originally added because of limited availability and performance of heat-pump hot-water systems for large circulation systems, and staff reviewed building permits filed during the exemption window. Those permits included one mixed‑use building, nine triplexes or four‑plexes, 11 duplexes and 48 single‑family homes, a set of project types staff said were not the most common new construction in the city.
Staff proposed a stepped approach: extend the exemption for multi‑unit residential and mixed‑use projects while removing the exemption for commercial “low hot-water users” (which staff said can be defined using water‑meter size — Champlain Valley Water District characterized heavy hot‑water users as those requiring more than a 1‑inch water‑meter connection). Staff recommended drafting clearer definitions and making the exemption time‑limited to allow fuller review of technology and cost changes.
A council member moved that staff prepare ordinance language to extend the exemption and pursue additional research; the motion was seconded and approved by a vote the clerk recorded as three in favor, one opposed and one absence. The council did not adopt final ordinance text at the meeting; staff will return with draft ordinance language and more detailed research before a first reading and public hearing.
Ending: Staff will prepare draft ordinance language and additional technical and cost analysis (including comparisons to other jurisdictions cited by councilors) and return to council for formal readings.
