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Public commenter and commissioners spar over net-zero energy code delay
Summary
A public commenter opposed a proposed net-zero energy-code supplement headed to council, raising cost and resilience concerns; sustainability staff said the item is a delay tied to state litigation and that staff will circulate cost and grid-impact analyses before the commission advises council.
A member of the public spoke at the Ithaca City Sustainability & Climate Justice Commission meeting to oppose the city's proposed energy-code supplement, which would move the city toward requiring net-zero or all-electric new buildings. "I think mandating net zero emissions in new buildings is a terrible idea that works against the city's goal of increasing housing stock and lowering housing costs," the commenter said during public comment, arguing the mandate would raise upfront construction costs and reduce heating resilience during outages.
Sustainability staff member Siobhan responded in the meeting's presentation that the commission is being asked to consider a delay rather than immediate adoption. "The energy code supplement legislation that is being introduced is actually a delay to an implementation that was scheduled for July 1st," Siobhan said, noting the original net-zero standard had been set to take effect Jan. 1, 2026 but was delayed amid state-level litigation. She told commissioners that the city's version would in some respects go beyond the state code by requiring all-electric buildings, and that the state code language banning fossil fuels is the piece currently under legal appeal.
Siobhan said staff will circulate materials in the commission packet, including a cost analysis and a Switchbox report on grid impacts, and emphasized that much outreach to developers occurs through the city's codes office during permitting. "Developers are really proactive about that kind of thing," she said, adding that permitting triggers which code version applies when a building permit is pulled.
Commissioners pressed staff on two recurring concerns from the public comment: cost implications for residents and resilience if buildings shift away from fossil-fuel-based heating. One commissioner asked whether electrification could leave some residents more vulnerable during outages; Siobhan responded that many heating systems still require electricity for distribution and ignition and said the only sure non-electric backup is an appliance such as a propane heater or wood-burning fireplace.
Staff noted the Town of Ithaca adopted a similar code Jan. 1, 2026, but cautioned that permit activity there has been limited so lessons remain preliminary. Commissioners asked staff to share the packet analyses and the Switchbox grid-impact study ahead of further deliberation; staff agreed and said the energy-code item would return for fuller discussion at a later meeting.
The commission did not vote on the code during this session. The immediate outcome was to solicit and circulate additional analyses and to continue the item at a future meeting so commissioners can evaluate costs, resilience planning, and permit enforcement implications.
