Hermosa Beach has begun waiving fees for carbon reducing measures at homes and businesses, on top of an already existing city rebate program.
Beginning this month, residents and businesses can have some fees waived for building and planning permits, including $3,000 in savings for installing small wind turbines.
“We recognize that adopting the latest in green technology can be expensive, and we hope that these incentives make it a more affordable proposition for the community and ultimately save them money,” Mayor Howard Fishman said.
“As a city, we have made a commitment to protect our environment, and we are constantly looking for ways to fulfill that mission. We hope that these incentives encourage folks to go green next time they build or upgrade their home or car.”
Incentives include:
— A 50 percent rebate on building-permit fees for Energy Upgrade California-qualifying improvements
— A 50 percent reduction in building permit fees for city approved energy efficiency upgrades or for buildings certified LEED or Build-It-Green
— Waiving of building permit fees for solar panels
— Waiving of building permit fees for small-wind energy systems
— Waiving of permit fees for installation of fueling/recharging station for 100 percent alternative fuel vehicles
— Waiving of preferential parking district permit fees for 100 percent electric or compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles
— Waiving of silver parking meter fees for 100 percent electric or CNG vehicles
Officials said information on specific incentives can be found by calling the city’s Community Development Department at (310) 318-0242.
Many of the rebates offered by the city are in addition to state and county programs, which further reduce the cost of green improvements. City officials urged residents and businesses to see sbesc.com.
The City Council also has approved installation of three electric-vehicle charging stations along Pier Avenue and one at City Hall.
Hermosa was one of the first cities in Los Angeles County to pledge to become carbon neutral, and was the first area city to be named a “Cool City,” which recognizes city efforts to solve climate change.
Earlier this year, Hermosa was named “Southern California’s Greenest City” for Earth Month by the Wyland Foundation for residents’ pledges to conserve nearly 122 million gallons of water and reduce carbon dioxide output by 3.6 million pounds over the next year.
Last year, the city completed construction of two award-winning environmental projects: an overhaul of upper Pier Avenue with an innovative storm water capturing system, and an underground trench along the eastern end of the beach sand to further catch and filter storm water runoff.
