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COUNTY OF SAN MATEO
Inter-Departmental Correspondence
County Manager’s Office
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DATE:
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February 8, 2010
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BOARD MEETING DATE:
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February 23, 2010
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SPECIAL NOTICE/HEARING:
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None
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VOTE REQUIRED:
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Majority
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TO:
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Honorable Board of Supervisors
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FROM:
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David S. Boesch, County Manager
Peggy Jensen, Deputy County Manager
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SUBJECT:
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County participation in the ABAG Retrofit Bay Area State Energy Program grant proposal
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RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt a Resolution authorizing the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), as lead applicant and collaborative entity, to apply to the California Energy Commission’s State Energy Program on behalf of the County of San Mateo, in partnership with Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma counties, for a total of $10.75 million in funding.
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BACKGROUND:
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In 2009, The California Energy Commission’s (CEC) issued a request for proposals for the $110 million State Energy Program (SEP). The Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), in partnership with eight Bay Area counties, submitted a proposal titled Retrofit Bay Area, to establish the infrastructure for a market-driven residential retrofit program. The proposed program will be self-sustaining, will stimulate the economy and will create jobs while transforming energy markets in California. ABAG applied for $10.75 million in SEP grant funds to support Retrofit Bay Area, which will retrofit 17,000 homes (single family and multifamily) throughout the Bay Area. ABAG expects the program to create 1,739 new jobs in energy efficiency and home performance contracting and reduce home energy consumption by up to 390 billion BTUs in the Bay Area.
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DISCUSSION:
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On February 10, 2010, the CEC announced the SEP awards. The ABAG proposal was fully funded and will receive $10.75 million for the Retrofit Bay Area program. The CEC requires all local governments participating in SEP grants to adopt a resolution authorizing a lead applicant and collaborative entity to apply for funding on their behalves. During the initial phase of the grant development process, the County and all twenty local jurisdictions submitted letters of commitment to ABAG in support of the Retrofit Bay Area proposal. The action before the Board today is the County resolution required by the CEC. Most of the cities in San Mateo County have or are in the process of also adopting resolutions authorizing ABAG as the lead applicant and to apply for the funding. Cities and counties participating in Retrofit Bay Area have until March 1, 2010 to adopt resolutions to benefit from the regional resources developed with SEP funds.
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By participating in the ABAG Retrofit Bay Area program, the County will have access to regional resources and can also leverage local funds to develop a comprehensive home energy retrofit program. The participating counties will jointly develop standards, policies, and measurement tools to reduce regional home energy consumption. The regional work also includes program development, homeowner web resources, contractor certification requirements, central call center, project evaluation, energy measurement tools, program administration, and grant reporting.
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ABAG and the grant Steering Committee have agreed to a population-based funding allocation for the participating counties. The San Mateo County allocation is $785,595, which will fund training for contractors, training for city and County building inspectors, local market analysis, homeowner workshops and resources, and mini grants for community groups assisting with targeted outreach.
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This action supports the 2025 Shared Vision outcome of an Environmentally Conscious Community by promoting residential energy efficiency, which will reduce the Countywide carbon footprint. The Resolution has been reviewed and approved as to form by County Counsel.
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FISCAL IMPACT:
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There is no cost associated with supporting the County’s participation in the ABAG regional SEP grant application. By participating in the grant, the County will benefit from $2.3 million in consultant work for the development and implementation of the regional program and receive $785,595 in direct funding to support County-specific outreach and program activities.
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