Draft Minutes
Executive Committee Meeting
Wednesday, January 8, 2025
9:00 am
In Person:
Conference Room 5
Ava Community Energy
1999 Harrison St., Suite 2300
Oakland, CA 94612
Or from the following locations:
City of Pleasanton, City Council Conference Room, 200 Old Bernal Ave, Pleasanton, 94566
Hayward City Hall, 777 B St, Hayward, CA 94541
Via Zoom:
https://avaenergy-org.zoom.us/j/88267670367
Or join by phone:
Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
US: +1 669 900 6833 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 312 626 6799 or 877 853 5257 (Toll Free) or 888 475 4499 (Toll Free) Webinar ID: 882 676 70367
Meetings are accessible to people with disabilities. Individuals who need special assistance or a disability-related modification or accommodation to participate in this meeting, or who have a disability and wish to request an alternative format for the meeting materials, should contact the Clerk of the Board at least 2 working days before the meeting at (510) 906- 0491 or [email protected].
If you have anything that you wish to be distributed to the Executive Committee, please email it to the clerk by 5:00 pm the day prior to the meeting.
1. (1:00) Welcome & Roll Call
Present: Members: Marquez (Alameda County)*, Roche (Hayward), Andersen (Piedmont), Gonzalez (San Leandro) and Chair Balch (Pleasanton) *Member Marquez joined the meeting at 9:11am.
2. (2:02) Public Comment
Ava Community Energy
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This item is reserved for persons wishing to address the Executive Committee on any Ava Community Energy-related matters that are not otherwise on this meeting agenda. Public comments on matters listed on the agenda shall be heard at the time the matter is called.
As with all public comment, members of the public who wish to address the Committee are customarily limited to three minutes per speaker and must complete an electronic speaker slip. The Executive Committee Chair may increase or decrease the time allotted to each speaker.
There was no general public comment.
3. (2:32) Approval of Minutes from December 4, 2024
Member Andersen motioned to approve the minutes. Member Gonzalez seconded the motion, which was approved 4/0/0/0/1 (yes, no, abstain, recuse, not present):
Yes: Members: Roche, Andersen, Gonzalez and Chair Balch No: none
Abstain: none
Recuse: none
Not Present: Member Marquez
4. (4:28) BAAQMD Rule 9-6 (Informational Item)
Receive an update and provide Feedback to staff regarding the Bay Area Air Quality Management District’s amendments to Regulation 9, Rule 6.
JP Ross, the Vice-President of Local Development, presented on the Bay Area Air Quality Management District's (BAAQMD) newly adopted rules phasing out the sale of gas water heaters and furnaces to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions. In this presentation, JP Ross outlined the phased implementation timeline starting in 2027 for smaller residential water heaters, followed by furnaces and larger water heaters in subsequent years, and discussed the expected shift to heat pump water heaters as a compliance alternative.
Selected topics discussed by Executive Committee Members:
• Chair Balch confirmed that load planning is critical, and JP Ross explained how Ava incorporates heat pump adoption and additional loads into its Integrated Resource Planning (IRP).
• Member Gonzalez proposed a "readiness assessment" to help residents understand potential costs before emergencies occur.
• Chair Balch called for a strong public education campaign led by BAAQMD to ensure understanding of the rule.
• Member Roche spoke about the need to reduce exceptions so that the rules are equitable.
(56:47) Public Comment: Jim Lutz asked how Ava plans to address the expected increase in electric load and suggested exploring on-bill financing or virtual power plant programs to manage installations and load. He also spoke about a lawsuit against similar rules in Southern California.
Ava Community Energy
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5. (1:17:09) Building Efficiency Accelerator Funding (Informational Item) Staff will provide an update on the funding status for the Building Efficiency Accelerator program and seek feedback on a proposed budget reallocation.
Allison Lopez, the manager of the Commercial Energy Efficiency program, presented on Ava’s Building Efficiency Accelerator, a program funded by the CPUC's Public Purpose Program (PPP) charge, aimed at helping large commercial and industrial customers improve energy efficiency. In this presentation, Lopez explained the program’s progress, which includes enrolling 30 buildings and identifying 15 GWh of potential energy savings, as well as a recent CPUC budget recalculation error that reduced the program's funding from $13.4 million to $5.56 million. To address the funding gap, she proposed reallocating $1 million from Ava’s building electrification budget.
Selected Topics discussed by Executive Committee Members:
• Member Roche asked whether other CCAs faced similar funding disparities. • Member Roche also confirmed that the proposed $1 million budget reallocation is a one-time adjustment to support existing program participants. • Chair Balch expressed general agreement that staff is appropriately addressing the issue.
6. (1:28:56) Committee Member and Staff Announcements including requests to place items on future Executive Committee Agendas
There were no Committee Member or Staff Announcements.
7. (1:30:00) Adjourned at 10:30am
The next Executive Committee meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 5, 2025.