UPDATE: San Francisco's 100% Renewable Electricity Requirement for Commercial Property Owners Passes Unanimously

UPDATE - September 20, 2019

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors recently - and unanimously - approved this ordinance. It will be heard again at their meeting next Tuesday and will then move to Mayor London Breed's desk for her consideration.

The legislation calls for the City’s largest commercial buildings to procure 100 percent renewable electricity from any of the City’s electricity providers by 2022. Then, starting in 2024, additional buildings will be subject to the requirement, eventually encompassing all commercial buildings 50,000 square feet or larger. The requirement is currently phased-in chronologically to ensure adequate renewable electricity is available for procurement:

• 2022 – commercial buildings over 500,000 square feet;
• 2024 – commercial buildings over 250,000 square feet; and,
• 2030 – commercial buildings over 50,000 square feet.

Since 1987, BOMA San Francisco has supported and promoted a more sustainable built environment generally through voluntary means as opposed to mandates. Measures addressing energy efficiency, water savings, resource usage reduction or any other environmental concerns should be well-vetted, realistic and cost-efficient.

With regard to this ordinance, our BOMA San Francisco Energy & Environment Committee leaders sincerely appreciate collaborating and working with those at San Francisco's City Hall early in the process to determine the feasibility of implementing a well-intended policy objective. Indeed, there were a number of possible issues at the onset that would have made the requirements of the ordinance, without key amendments, difficult to implement if not for our member feedback and the understanding of City and County of San Francisco stakeholders.

They include the ability for the San Francisco Department of the Environment to determine compliance if:

• The lack of GHG-free or renewable energy market resources available to meet demand, and/or;
• The cost of all available 100% GHG-free or renewable electricity options is more than 5% of each provider’s default program offering, and/or;
• And language that addresses long-term energy contracts.

Please email johnb@boma.com with any questions you may have.

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Original Post - July 19, 2019

San Francisco's ordinance requiring 100% Renewable Energy for commercial property owners ordinance is now moving through the legislative process at City Hall and will likely be heard at the Land Use and Transportation Committee soon.

Please click here to review the measure and us know if you have any feedback at johnb@boma.com

BACKGROUND

You can read Mayor London Breed's press release on this topic. Breed announced the proclimation on Earth Day in April 2019.