I wanted to make sure that everyone in the LHWR Democrats had an opportunity to comment on the Comprehensive Environmental & Climate Action Plan (CECAP). It's going to vote in the City Council soon and it's important you make your comments known on the CECAP Forum. This is a recent post and email I sent to the City of Dallas Housing Department expressing my desire to have prewired EV charging stations in newly constructed residential housing and pre-wired for solar as well.
Read the CECAP and participate in the forum... Trust me... as the Vice-Chair of the Community Development Citizen Participation Committee... elected officials and City Staff listen and react to an outpouring of support or dissent on issues. So let's get some comments on the forum, like a bunch of the existing posts, and let's plan a field trip to City Hall when the time is right to DEMAND that the City of Dallas act on the CECAP and pass it as is or with even more aggressive climate mitigation actions included.
To Reese Collins (Area Redevelopment Manager, City of Dallas Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization)
CC: Councilman Adam McGough, David Noguera
We met during the Community Development Commission Tour of the Singleton Road property and I brought up the issue of the proposed CECAP mandate that newly developed residential units may soon be required to have "EV infrastructure requirements for new construction, including pre-wiring and electrical capacity, to accommodate future EV charging points." I wanted to follow up and send over a few of the source documents.
I am a strong proponent of this mandate as the cost of wiring during building is pennies on the dollar for the builder as opposed to the high cost of post-construction installation by homeowners. There may also be a prohibition for renters on installing EV capable electric outlets which will further slow the adoption of EV vehicles in the City of Dallas. As the cost of EVs becomes more affordable and all combustion engines are phased out by manufacturers, EVs will be the cars that everyone is driving regardless of income level.
With EVs becoming the predominant type of vehicle in Dallas it will be important to have EV charging available in affordable housing units (both single and multi-family) as well as market-priced housing.
LINK TO CECAP - https://27aabd9a-6024-4b39-ba78-f6074e2fc631.filesusr.com/ugd/349b65_107eb63b25fa4a29b1d41631598fc10a.pdf
CECAP Housing - EV/Solar
Table 17. Action B11 – Update Building Code for Solar Photovoltaics and EV Charging - Mandate
Update the building code to require pre-wiring for solar photovoltaics and electric vehicle charging infrastructure in new construction. Designing solar-ready and EV-ready buildings is a low-cost strategy to encourage the adoption of these technologies. Dallas already adopts and implements various building codes, including the IECC, to guide building construction and renovations. The 2018 IECC includes appendices that are not mandatory unless specifically adopted by cities, including Appendix CA Solar Ready Zone (commercial buildings) and RA Solar Ready Provisions (residential buildings). These appendices describe provisions to make buildings solar-ready, including accommodations for solar equipment, piping, and wiring, to encourage the future installation of renewable energy systems. The City will adopt these appendices in the next building code update to support solar-ready construction. At the same time, the City will also include EV infrastructure requirements for new construction, including pre-wiring and electrical capacity, to accommodate future EV charging points. The City will evaluate the cost implications of these revisions for new residential construction and consider a waiver program for low-income housing developments.
Thank you for your willingness to stay abreast of these important changes to the City of Dallas housing code.
Brian Hasenbauer
Community Development Commissioner District 10
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