Climate change is the result of decisions and actions we make on how much of and how we use the world’s natural resources.
The San Luis Obispo’s proposed tiny house on wheels ordinance, created and passed at the direction of the City Council on Oct. 10, blows a hole in San Luis Obispo’s Climate Action Plan and stated goal of creating a “net zero” energy future.
The planning staff and commission did not address this goal, leaving energy efficiency entirely at the discretion of the tiny-home builder, without any guidelines or goals stated. This would be a giant step backward in our commitment to attaining a “net zero” community and our city’s adopted Climate Action Plan.
The state of California has actively promoted energy efficiency for the built environment since 1978 through Title 24, part 6. Title 24 has been updated over the years to set the stage for our “net zero” built environment, with the 2019 update to fully embracing and promoting net zero homes. California’s energy standards are crucial to reducing green house gas emissions of the electricity and natural gas sectors, and to lowering the costs of energy to consumers.
Before the city moves forward with the acceptance of the ordinance as full-time residences in our city, there needs to be appropriate requirements that the structures be built to efficiency guidelines that, at the very least, reflect our current T-24 standards for all residential buildings.
Not requiring energy conservation features for tiny homes would be a rebuke of our city and state goals to build a “net zero” community. Providing housing that is costly to heat, cool, and light and ignoring our Climate Action Plan, would be inconsistent, environmentally damaging, discriminatory, and lazy.
John Ewan
Pacific Energy Company
San Luis Obispo
This article appears in Oct 25 – Nov 4, 2018.
Does the “net zero” policy include artificially limiting the housing supply in order to displace people? Do we want to meet our targets by kicking people out of their homes too?
Climate change has nothing to do with what we humans do! Nothing is happening now that has not naturally happened before. The climate is always changing and only witch doctors and magicians can control it.
The state government regulates automobile emissions, these said automobiles are used to move tiny houses sooo whats the problem?you think tiny houses us a lot of energy?actually they dont , most tiny houses are easy to heat being that they are TINY.The problem with this whole issue is that tiny houses are a bandaid measure to rectify the growing cost of housing.Maybe if the rent prices and house prices where on par with the wages ppl got paid tiny houses wouldnt be a fad.This whole article is utterly ridiculous.