San Luis Obispo staff asks council to pursue phased retrofit rules, building performance standards and a Home Energy Score pilot

City staff presented a study session July 15 asking San Luis Obispo City Council for strategic direction on a three‑part policy framework to reduce emissions from existing buildings: energy‑efficiency requirements at the time of major additions and alterations, development of a building performance standard (BPS) for large buildings, and voluntary disclosure or time‑of‑sale policies.

Chris Reid, the city sustainability manager, and Bob Hill summarized staff work since a December 2023 study session and described six strategic next steps. Staff said emissions from existing buildings account for about 30% of community‑wide emissions and that current trends are not on track to meet the city’s target to halve building emissions by 2030. Reid said that while voluntary incentives have helped, they are unlikely by themselves to meet the goal.

On additions and alterations, staff recommended readopting a local energy‑efficiency requirement the council adopted for single‑family projects (applying to…