Every three years, all cities and counties in
California adopt an updated Building Standards
Code (Title 24) from the California Code of Regulations. 
Title 24 is made up of different “Parts” that set minimum

building requirements for things like Energy Efficiency (Part 6) and Green Building Standards (Part 11, also called CALGreen).

However, local governments can adopt ordinances with stricter building requirements – known as “reach codes”.
In this case, Agoura Hills passed an Energy Reach Code to 
reduce the use of natural gas (the third-highest source of
our community’s GHG emissions) and increase accessibility
to electric vehicle service equipment.

In order to be adopted, an Energy Reach Code must:

• Not set lower standards than what is already in Title 24, Part 6
• Be found by the City to be needed for the local climate or environmental reasons
• Be shown to be cost-effective
• Be approved by a public process and then re-approved by City Council every three years 

Reach Code Development

• Watch the  Energy Reach Code Community Meeting (6/7/2022)
• Adopted Ordinance No. 23-466

What is Building Electrification?

“Mix-fuel” homes and businesses burn natural gas to run appliances like water heaters, dryers and cooking ranges. Building Electrification, sometimes called Building Decarbonization, means substituting these gas appliances with electric-powered alternatives. 

Building electrification is easiest to do when a home or business is first being built – that’s why our current reach code focuses on new construction. However, we need everyone to learn the benefits of going electric and consider making the switch.

Reach Code Requirements?

The Energy Reach Code requires newly constructed residential and nonresidential buildings to be built as all-electric (with some exceptions). All-electric buildings do not have gas appliances or gas infrastructure for space heating (including fireplaces), water heating, cooking equipment, and clothes drying - electric appliances are used instead.

Since the reach code only applies to new construction, existing homes and businesses that use gas can still do so and are not mandated to switch to all-electric appliances. Additionally, portable barbeques/grills are also not affected by the reach code.

The following exceptions were added to the ordinance based on community input and Council guidance:

Attached Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) or Junior ADU (JADU) to existing buildings with fuel gas infrastructure

• Rebuilding housing units after a natural disaster (wildfires, floods, earthquakes, etc.)
• Residential and commercial swimming pools and spas
• Commercial food heat-processing equipment (e.g., restaurant stoves)
• Back-up power for critical facilities is necessary to protect public health or safety in the event of an electric grid outage
• Specialized equipment for laboratory uses
• The City may grant an exception if the applicant demonstrates that it is physically or technically infeasible to build without fuel gas infrastructure

Read the Summary of Requirements for New Construction or the full ordinance for more details about exceptions. 

Learn More

New to electrification? Check out these Intro Resources: 

• 3C-Ren Training on All-Electric Homes 101
• Know Your Induction Cooktop
•  Know Your Heat Pumps 

Thinking about replacing your appliances or remodeling? Check out these Retrofit Resources:

• 3C-REN has on-demand trainings on a variety of topics, including Home Remodeling with Fire Resiliency and Electrification (you can also check out their calendar of public events and trainings for more upcoming webinars).
• Learn about upgrading appliances in your home and head to the SoCal Edison Marketplace to easily compare their prices and energy efficiency (the Marketplace will also let you know which appliances come with a SoCal Edison rebate!).
• Check out the Incentives Search Tool from The Switch is On to see all appliance rebates that are available in your area.

Why Include EVSE in the Reach Code?

In Agoura Hills, over 70% of our GHG emissions come from gaspowered transportation. Statewide, transportation emissions make up over half of California’s carbon pollution and 80% of its smog-forming pollution.
To combat these emissions at the state level, an Executive Order was announced that all new cars sold in California will be required to be electric by 2035. That means at the local level, we need to start expanding our access to EVSE now. This will help us reach our local emissions reduction goal of 36,402 MTCO2e, the statewide target of carbon neutrality by 2045, and prepare us for the increase in EV usage in the years to come.

Common EVSE Terms

Before diving into the reach code requirements, it can be helpful to know some common electric terms about EV Charging Levels and EV Readiness.

EV Charging Levels:
Level 1 (120-Volt): 3-4 miles per charging hour
Level 2 (208-Volt or 240-Volt):10-20 miles per charging hour
Level 3 – DC Fast (400-Volt to 900-Volt): 150+ miles per charging hour

EV Readiness 

EV Capable
EV Capable stalls just require space to be made for the future installation of an EVSE. That means basic infrastructure (like conduit, breaker space, junction boxes, etc.) is installed, but there is no charging equipment present.
Having parking spaces initially built as EV Capable gives the huge advantage of making future EV charging station installation easy and affordable. Instead of retrofitting stalls by breaking and repairing concrete, a contractor would only have to pill wire through the conduit and connect it to the charger.

EV Ready
EV Ready spaces require EV Capable infrastructure and a wired 208-volt outlet or 240-volt outlet (the same kind of outlet a clothes dryer plugs into). This allows EV drivers to plug their portable charger directly into the outlet. 

EV Installed/EV Chargers
EV Installed spaces have full EV Capable Infrastructure and a charging station that supports a minimum of Level 2 charging.

Reach Code Requirements

The reached code requires newly constructed buildings to provide parking spaces that are EV Capable, EV Ready, and EV Chargers please see Ordinance No. 23-466.

Learn More

Thinking about switching to an EV? Check out these Intro Resources: 

• The Community Environmental Council’s Electric Vehicles 101 Workshop and Get Charged: Everything You Need to Drive Electric has information and resources about switching to an electric vehicle.
• ElectricForAll.org has an incentives search tool to make shopping for an EV easy. SoCal Edison also has a Pre-Owned Electric Vehicle Rebate, along with rebates for new car purchases.

• I already have a gas stove and don’t want to switch to electric
  •  There is nothing in the ordinance about homes and businesses that already have gas appliances – the all-electric building requirements are only for new projects. 
• Can the grid handle the extra load from all-electric buildings?
  • According to SoCal Edison: “Serving the electrical needs of an all-electric building is not a significant concern compared to a mixed-fuel building. We design the electric grid to accommodate peak demand, which in most areas is driven by air conditioning load. Case studies have shown the peak demand from all-electric neighborhoods is not significantly higher than the peak demand from mixed-fuel neighborhoods. This is because modern electric technologies are very efficient and often are demand response capable, meaning they can avoid or minimize usage during on-peak hours when stress on the grid is greatest. All of this translates into all-electric homes having a “flatter” electricity demand profile. So, while they consume more electricity overall, all-electric homes place that demand on the grid more evenly throughout the day, which means we don’t need significant upgrades to the grid specifically for all electric buildings.
• Where does my energy come from?
  • The City is a member of the Clean Power Alliance (CPA), a community choice aggregate that purchases clean energy that SoCal Edison sends to our homes and businesses. Our Clean Power Alliance Page has more information, or you can check out CPA directly