The Newspaper of the San Francisco Bay Chapter
September - October 2006
TABLE OF CONTENTS
| FEATURE STORIES |
 |
|
|
Volunteers make solar power easier and more affordable for homeowners
Through a record-breaking heat wave, power grid-failures, and mounting warnings of devastating climate change, a team of Chapter volunteers has been working to bring down the costs of solar power. Working through the Bay Chapter's Energy Committee, the team surveyed the Bay Chapter's 48 cities and counties to determine the cost of getting local approval for a typical three-kilowatt solar-panel system. The results were startling (see chart).
In Pleasant Hill, for example, a homeowner can get permits and inspections for an average solar panel for $55. Down the road in Danville the same job would cost about $850. In Oakland one would pay $199. Next door in the city of Alameda - $690.
From a low of $3 for solar permits in Mill Valley to a high of $1,074 in Union City, our survey found big discrepancies for essentially the same work and in spite of state laws requiring reasonable fees and equal treatment.
Our survey was modeled after one conducted last year by Club volunteers in the South Bay's Loma Prieta Chapter. Surveying cities in San Mateo, Santa Clara, and San Benito Counties, they found that fees varied widely, from $50 to over $1,500 for the same solar-power system. After their survey was published and covered widely in the press, which generated strong public outcry, 40% of the cities surveyed quickly found ways to reduce their fees. The Bay Chapter's survey, released at the end of July, is already leading to similar improvements. Many cities, including Fairfax, Novato, Hercules, and San Leandro, have responded positively to our findings and are considering lowering or waiving their fees entirely.
Both federal and state incentives have been helping to make solar panels more affordable to middle-income homeowners. Community Choice energy aggregation, being pursued in communities all across California including San Francisco, Oakland, and Marin, will lead to a major expansion of renewable energy. But few have realized that permit fees, charged at the local level to ensure engineering and safety standards, also make a substantial difference in the price of a home installation.
The goal of the survey is to persuade local governments to emulate neighboring communities that are solar-friendly by lowering permit fees and expediting city permitting processes to eliminate hassles and delays for solar installers. We are asking all cities to use a flat fee, no higher than $300, for permitting residential photovoltaic systems. Our cities should be actively encouraging an energy trend that contributes so much to the health and energy security of our communities.
WhatYouCanDo
Excerpts from our report appear below. You can read the full report at http://lomaprieta.sierraclub.org/global_warming/gwec.htm
We are planning follow-up meetings with most of these cities. If you are a resident, your participation may be valuable in catching the attention of city government. To get involved in this effort as a member of a "city contact team" or in some other capacity (phoning/writing council members, writing letters to the editor, etc.) contact or call (510) 848-0800, ext. 305
If you live in one of the cities with high fees, take a moment to contact the city manager, politely urging them to consider lowering solar permit fees:
San Leandro - John Jermanis
(510)577-3390
jjermanis@ci.san-leandro.ca.us
El Cerrito - Scott Hanin
(510)215-4300
shanin@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us
Union City - Larry Cheeves
(510)471-3232
lcheeves@ci.union-city.ca.us
Hayward - Jesus Armas
(510)583-4305
jesusa@hayward-ca.gov
Hercules - Michael Sakamoto
(510)799-8206
mike.sakamoto@ci.hercules.ca.us
Fremont - Fred Diaz
(510)284-4000
fdiaz@ci.fremont.ca.us
Danville - Joseph Calabrigo
(925)314-3388
jcalabrigo@ci.danville.ca.us
Larkspur - Jean Bonander
(415)927-5110
jbonander@larkspurcityhall.org
Fairfax - Linda Kelly
(415)453-1584
lkelly@townoffairfax.org
Richmond - William Lindsay
(510)620-6512
bill_lindsay@ci.richmond.ca.us
Late-breaking news from Dublin
As the Yodeler goes to press, we have learned that the city of Dublin will lower its fee to $250 as of Oct. 5. Perhaps your city can be next!
"Solar Electric Permit Fees in the North/East S.F. Bay Area - a Comparative Study"
Excerpts from the report.
"A Typical Case History"
Marilyn Thomas of Mill Valley experienced her photovoltaic (PV) purchase as so many do: as an opportunity and a frustration.
"My first motivation was to save the planet and number two was . . . my [utility] bill would be less expensive," Thomas said of her reasons for going solar. Seven months after Cooperative Community Energy (CCE) installed her 3.3 kilowatt system, she was more than satisfied with its performance. "I've been paying about $5 dollars a month [for electricity]."
She cited a long wait and high price, however, as the primary hurdles. "Make it easier for people to get solar and . . . even subsidize it," Thomas advised governments.
Fortunately, her city has heard and answered such pleas. Starting in 2006, Mill Valley reduced its permit fee for standard PV systems to a flat $3.29 - one of the cheapest PV fees anywhere. And it now issues permits over-the-counter for systems that meet its design guidelines.
"City Council . . . has an interest in green building and encouraging alternative forms of energy," said Elise Semonian, associate planner for the city of Mill Valley. Over-the-counter permitting there means about 15 minutes for the permit application review. The post-installation inspection also takes about 15 minutes. "We hope that it [low fees and quick permitting] is encouraging people to install." Echoing Marilyn Thomas, Semonian attributed a rising interest in PV systems to rising energy costs.
So did Chester Nakahara, an inspector at the City of Piedmont Building Department. "Over the last couple of years, there has been a definite increase in interest." Like Mill Valley, Nakahara estimated that post-installation inspections take 15 minutes. Unlike Mill Valley, Piedmont takes about two weeks to process most solar applications. Unfortunately, time is money: solar customers pay $541 for a permit in Piedmont. The difference in fees might also reflect the cities' valuation methods. In contrast to Mill Valley's flat fee, Piedmont bases its PV permit fee on the value of the installation.
Piedmont's fee, however, is still far better than the $1,074 that Union City charges for the same system. Permit fees are one of many cumulative costs for a PV system that make potential customers think twice. Jason Jackson, president of Solaris Solar (a PV installation company), expressed his customers' viewpoint: "I'm already spending all this money on solar, I'm trying to reduce my impact on the planet, I'm trying to help out the city and myself and the environment, and I'm being penalized for it . . . Most people don't complain if it's under $500. When it's . . . over $1,000, there are customers who are appalled."
Gary Gerber, president of Sunlight and Power (another PV installation company), described the opportunity and frustration that solar customers face. "People are [installing PV systems] for the pure, straight economics of it. I still get comments like . . . I want to get away from PG&E. As long as energy [prices] keep going up, it's hitting people in the pocket-book." On the other hand, many customers wait weeks, or even months, before their city processes the solar permit. "When people make the purchase decision, the mental clock starts," said Gerber. "They don't want to keep waiting . . . . They want their system tomorrow." Jackson of Solaris Solar said these frustrations are having an impact on the PV industry. "When you are depending on things going quickly and smoothly to make the finances work in a small [solar] company, I think it does hurt a lot of people."
Jackson singled out San Ramon as having one of the worst permitting processes - an opinion other solar contractors share. It's worth noting that while a city might have a low up-front fee, permitting complications and delays can otherwise make solar installations more expensive or even impossible. "It's a full day for one person to deal with the permit office at very least," said Jackson. "It just translates into that much more money for the client to spend." By contrast, both Jackson and Gerber credit Berkeley and the county of Contra Costa for having excellent permitting processes.
"Recommendations"
We recommend that all cities reduce their solar permit fees to $300 or less for residential PV systems that are flush-mounted to rooftops, since permitting and inspecting a residential PV system should take permitting authorities from two to five hours. This amount is typical of the cities with the most PV experience and streamlined processes in our region. We recommend the following measures for cities that currently charge over $300.
- Use the flat-fee method instead of the valuation-based method to assess permit fees. It takes about the same amount of time to permit a small or large residential PV system. Thus, the flat-fee method enables the city to recover its costs and be fair to the solar customer too.
- Streamline permit processes to reduce costs and delays. Half- to one-day solar workshops for relevant staff can make a critical difference in process expenses. Various organizations sponsor these workshops, including solar contractors/manufacturers, building departments, and the International Association of Electrical Inspectors (IAEI).
- Revise permit fees downward to account for the new California Solar Rights Act, which requires minimal permit fees for solar-energy systems and makes prohibitions based on aesthetic concerns illegal. This applies to cities that currently require plan checks with aesthetic criteria.
We recommend the following measures for all cities regardless of their current permit fees and processes.
- Standardize permit requirements among California's municipalities. This would erase numerous bureaucratic hassles for permitting departments and the PV industry, as it would make it easier for the latter to comply with the former's expectations.
- Show permit fees and requirements on the city web site to facilitate the application process for solar contractors and for customers who install their own systems.
- Consider fast-tracking applications for solar contractors who have reliable track records for PV installations. Delays can discourage customers, as well as undermine the ability of solar contractors to compete with non-renewable energy providers.
The full report is available at http://lomaprieta.sierraclub.org/global_warming/gwec.htm
© 2006 San Francisco Sierra Club Yodeler