HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 14816
City of Palo Alto (ID # 14816)
City Council Staff Report
Meeting Date: 10/3/2022 Report Type: Action Items
City of Palo Alto Page 1
Title: Supplemental Information on Sustainability and Climate Action Plan
Update Goals and Key Actions, Reach Code Changes, and Advanced Heat
Pump Water Heater Program
From: City Manager
Lead Department: Utilities
This supplemental report to the September 27 S/CAP Update staff report (CMR 14606, packet
p. 80) includes responses to several questions and information requests from the September
27, 2022 meeting. The topics and staff responses are provided below. Part II of this item will
continue at the October 3, 2022 Council meeting.
1. Impact of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) on the heat pump water heater program:
Rewiring America has a variety of resources on the IRA, including a calculator summarizing the
electrification incentives and available tax credits. Residents should consult their tax advisors to
assess how the provisions in the IRA and incentives may affect their personal financial situation.
2. Amount of carbon reduced per dollar invested in various types of emissions-reducing
activities considered in the S/CAP:
This information can be found in the preliminary impact analysis discussed by Council on April
19, 2021, on page 3 of the at-places memo item for Agenda Item 7. Staff provided a summary
of the City’s current transportation-related programs to the Utilities Advisory Commission at its
September 14, 2022 meeting (Item 4).
3. Percentage of EV drivers who charge at work:
There is limited data on EV driver charging patterns. A 2017 City survey showed 70% of Palo
Alto residents charge at home, which is comparable to the national average. A 2018 survey by
Volvo Car USA of 1500 EV drivers found that 16% of charging events among survey participants
occurred at work.
4. Amount of carbon emitted from non-renewable energy sources by electric production
at night (not counting offsets we do during the day):
City of Palo Alto Page 2
The most recent report containing information on the City’s compliance with its carbon neutral
electric portfolio standard (which takes into account the hourly emissions of the grid) was
published at the December 2021 Utilities Advisory Commission meeting as an informational
item (Staff Report 13753). It provides information on a monthly basis. See page 5 for a
discussion of this topic.
5. Status of the City’s micromobility pilot, which is expected to include e-scooters, e-bikes,
or other small electric vehicles:
The Office of Transportation does not currently have the staff capacity to proceed with this
pilot, but is looking for creative ideas or partnerships that might help move the pilot forward.
Micromobility vendors have changed their models throughout the pandemic and that has led to
increased cost for cities. Throughout these changes, staff has also re-evaluated micromobility
staffing resource demands and determined that a micromobility pilot will require more
resourcing and oversight.