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Home My WebLink About6/16/2020 Item 11, Blank From:Jason Blank < To:E-mail Council Website Subject:Clean Energy Choice Resolution Dear SLO City Council Members, I am writing in support of the resolution on clean energy choice for new buildings. I particularly approve of the requirement that new residential construction be retrofit-ready. The cost and inconvenience of rewiring an existing home to install an electric appliance is much greater than the cost of installing the proper wiring during initial construction. Opponents of this measure claim to favor greater choice of appliances for homeowners, but they actually want to lock in natural gas as the only convenient and cost-effective choice for replacement appliances well into the future. My own house has a gas clothing dryer. When the time comes to replace it, I can only choose an electric dryer if I first hire an electrician to install a 240 volt outlet with the proper capacity. The same constraint applies to my gas oven. My only reservation about this policy relates to stovetops, as we enjoy cooking and prefer a gas stovetop to traditional electric coil stovetops. In principle, induction should offer an excellent alternative to gas, but induction stovetops are so scarce in the US that it is very difficult to find them and try them out. Perhaps the city could invest in a demonstration kitchen where residents could try out several different models, or could work with local appliance retailers to expand the selection so that residents can see and test these models in person. Some of the motivation to write this letter comes from seeing several Facebook ads urging me to oppose the resolution. These misleading ads funded by the fossil-fuel industry claim that the resolution will increase energy costs. In the long run, I expect that this resolution will pave the way for more efficient appliances and lower retrofit costs. If the council receives a wave of letters in opposition, they should be taken with a grain of salt. Thank you for your consideration, Jason Jason Blank jasonmblank@gmail.com 1