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Commission urges Board of Supervisors to extend all-electric rule to major renovations
Summary
The Commission on the Environment voted unanimously to ask the Board of Supervisors to expand the All-Electric New Construction Ordinance so major renovations are subject to the same no-fossil-fuel requirements, with phased exceptions for affordable-housing projects and limited reuse of recently installed systems.
The San Francisco Commission on the Environment on Oct. 28 voted to send a resolution to the Board of Supervisors asking that the city's All-Electric New Construction Ordinance be updated to cover major renovations that effectively replicate new construction.
Cindy Comerford, the department's climate program manager, and Nick Kessner, senior building decarbonization coordinator, told commissioners that some gut rehabs and large additions have been treated as exempt despite involving full mechanical-system replacements. They said the proposed expansion would prevent projects that "mirror new construction" from installing new gas infrastructure during major renovation work.
The presenters said the ordinance retains technical-feasibility and limited commercial-cooking exceptions. Outreach with stakeholders led staff to propose a two-year phase-in for affordable-housing developers, a narrowly defined five-year allowance to reuse major systems recently installed, and an allowance for mixed-fuel buildings when an electric-service upgrade would otherwise be triggered by an office-to-residential conversion.
Vice President Sullivan moved approval of a resolution (filed in the meeting materials as resolution 2020490); Commissioner Mayhew seconded. The commission called the roll; President Wong, Vice President Sullivan, Commissioners Ahn, Bermejo, Hunter, Tompkins and Yuan all voted aye and the motion passed unanimously.
Commissioners asked staff to clarify the waiver process for technical infeasibility and were told that waivers require third-party verification and a Department of Building Inspection review. Presenters said waivers have been rare under the current new-construction ordinance and that overlapping future policies ' such as a building performance standard ' should further reduce the number of exemptions.
Next steps, staff said, include finalizing ordinance language with sponsor Supervisor Mandelman and moving toward introduction at the Board of Supervisors in the coming weeks, with staff hoping for approval by late December or early January.
The commission opened the matter for public comment and heard none before the roll call vote.
