Red Alert: TUESDAY: Glendale Considers Heat Pump or EE Mandate AGAIN
Red Alert:
TUESDAY: Glendale Considers Heat Pump or EE Mandate AGAIN
By Janet M. Gagnon, Esq.
Senior Vice President, Government Affairs & External Relations
TOMORROW, November 4th, the Glendale City Council will vote on a draft ordinance requiring the installation of a heat pump to replace an existing gas furnace or additional energy efficiency actions when a single-family, townhouse or duplex property owner replaces an air conditioning unit for cooling (Agenda Item 9b). While this may start with duplexes, it will likely quickly spread to all multifamily housing. We urge all property owners in Glendale to attend the meeting in-person tomorrow to again defeat this costly requirement.
TAKE ACTION NOW!!!
Attend the Meeting on Tuesday, 11/04 at 6:00 p.m.
In-person:
COUNCIL CHAMBERS
613 E. Broadway, 2nd Floor
Glendale, CA 91206
By Telephone:
Call (818) 937-8100
Also, please send your written opposition via email to the full City Council. Your emails allow you to express your full story as a rental housing provider. Click here to send an email.
If the link to send an email does not work with your system, please use the attached Glendale City Council Emails (see below) to copy and paste their email addresses into your email.
REASONS TO OPPOSE
- This new HEATING Mandate requiring installation of either a Heat Pump or Additional Energy Efficiency requirements is PURPOSEFULLY MISLEADING as it is tied to the installation or replacement of Air Conditioning for COOLING. Any new requirement for heating must be tied to the installation or replacement of a furnace, which is the device currently used for HEATING with natural gas and the true target of this ordinance.
- There is NO DATA supporting this ordinance that applies to installation of a heat pump for HEATING ONLY. All the data from Frontier Energy’s report relates to replacing an air conditioner with a heat pump for cooling purposes and, in certain instances, heating. There is NO DATA on costs or cost-effectiveness for using a heat pump for HEATING ONLY as is contained in the current draft ordinance. The intent of AC2HP was to replace the AC for cooling!
- There has been NO OUTREACH to property owners that will suffer the financial burden of this new mandate. The City’s Staff Report clearly shows that issue has only been discussed internally and no outreach efforts whatsoever have been made to property owners to solicit their input on this costly new requirement for heat pumps or additional energy efficiency actions.
- This ordinance should NOT apply to duplexes, as they are small businesses using multifamily properties to provide affordable housing for renters. Small owners are still struggling due to mountains of unpaid back rent resulting from years of COVID-19 moratoriums. This additional cost will only further discourage mom-and-pop owners from providing needed naturally occurring affordable housing and encourage redevelopment to McMansions or other luxury housing.
- A/C use increases outdoor temperatures as they dump waste heat outside creating heat islands. This causes a vicious cycle of turning up air conditioners more and more to combat the increasing high temperatures they create. Demand for electricity continues to increase, destabilizing the grid and increasing utility bills for everyone. Yet there is NO mandate that heat pumps be used for both cooling and heating when A/C units are replaced. Who is really benefiting from this ordinance?
This article is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions regarding your property or specific leasing issues and the requirements of any legal changes described herein, please consult with an attorney.