California WAIRE Program: Navigating Warehouse Sustainability

Understanding the California WAIRE Program

WAIRE stands for Warehouse Actions and Investments to Reduce Emissions. It is a government program focused on improving air quality and reducing harmful emissions from warehouses. This program impacts the majority of counties in the State of California across over 30 jurisdictions. All warehouses that exceed 100,000 square feet are required to follow WAIRE program rules and are subject to fees each year.

The WAIRE Points Impact

The WAIRE program uses an overly complex calculation that add up to a points system. These WAIRE points use factors like total truck trips and the size of your warehouse.

Warehouses can earn an allowance of WAIRE points by adding zero emissions hardware, such as Electric Vehicle charging stations. The amount of zero emissions hardware that is needed depends on your unique warehouse size and truck trips per day.

The WAIRE Fee Calculator

Noch Power have developed a custom WAIRE points calculator to help you understand your annual obligation. Complete the following steps in the calculator interface: 1. Select the year (certain years impact the stringency rate). 2. Choose your warehouse size. 3. Stringency values will automatically calculate and cannot be edited.

4. Input the quantity of trips your warehouse performs by truck class Once you complete those steps, you'll then see the estimated number of WAIRE points. These points are what you must solve for by adding zero emissions hardware.

What Electric Vehicle Products are Compliant with WAIRE?

Noch Power offers products manufactured in the USA. Our commitment to domestic production makes warehouses eligible for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program. With $5 billion in funding through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), this program encourages the adoption of eco-friendly electric vehicle infrastructure, and can help ease the financial burden of the WAIRE program. Noch Power is focused on helping guide you through this process without hassle. You may reach out through our online form or directly contact jrose@nochpower.com. To further explore our product offerings, please visit the products page.

WAIRE Program FAQ's

Q: Where does this rule apply?

A: This rule applies to all warehouses over 100,000 square feet and located in the jurisdiction of South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD). The jurisdiction includes Riverside, San Bernardino, and Orange County, as well as two-thirds of Los Angeles county.

Q: Does Noch Power offer WAIRE compliant Electric Vehicle (EV) products?

A: Yes, Noch Power offers a variety of EV chargers that are compliant with the WAIRE program. Reach out to us in our contact form and we'll be happy to help solve your challenges.

Q: I am a warehouse owner, what reports do I have to submit?

A: Warehouse Operations Notification (WON):

• You must fill out a WON form if you own a warehouse.

• Do this by September 1, 2021, or within 14 days if there's a new person running your warehouse, or 30 days after making big changes that affect the size of your warehouse.

• You can find more about WON on Page 7 and Table 4 in the WAIRE Implementation Guidelines.

Annual WAIRE Report (AWR):

• If you want to earn WAIRE Points for your warehouse, you need to submit an AWR.

• This report is due by January 31 each year, for the points you earned in the previous year.

• You have to send this report through the online WAIRE POP system. Check it out at www.aqmd.gov/waire

Q: I am a warehouse operator, what reports do I have to submit?

A: If you're running a warehouse, there are two key reports you need to know about: the Initial Site Information Report (ISIR) and the Annual WAIRE Report (AWR).

Initial Site Information Report (ISIR):

• When you start operating a warehouse for the first time, you need to submit an ISIR.

• You only have to do this once, during your first year at the warehouse.

• If you move to a different warehouse that falls under Rule 2305, you'll need to submit a new ISIR.

• This report gives details about how the warehouse is run.

Annual WAIRE Report (AWR):

• Each year, you must submit an AWR to show your WAIRE Points Compliance Obligation (WPCO). This is about how you plan to earn enough WAIRE Points.

• The report also shows how you actually earned those points.

• If you're a warehouse owner and choose to earn WAIRE Points yourself, you need to submit an AWR too, at the end of the period when you earned the points.

• You can find more information about ISIR and AWR on Page 7 and Table 4 in the WAIRE Implementation Guidelines.

Q: Who is exempt from the WAIRE program?

A: If you're running a warehouse, you should know about some special exceptions under Rule 2305 that might apply to you:

Exemption for Smaller Warehouses:

• If your warehouse uses less than 50,000 square feet, you might not have to follow all the rules in Rule 2305.

• This only works if you and other operators in the same building together don’t use more than 50,000 square feet.

Exemption for Low WPCO Scores:

• If your WAIRE Points Compliance Obligation (WPCO) score is less than 10, you won't need to earn WAIRE Points.

• You still have to do the regular reporting, though.

• This exemption is meant to help smaller warehouses that don’t have a lot of truck traffic.

Technology Malfunction Exemption:

• Sometimes, new technology doesn't work right because of manufacturing problems.

• If this happens, you can ask for an exemption, but the South Coast AQMD has to review and approve it.

• When you apply, you need to explain your investment and how the problem affects your expected WAIRE Points.

• You also need to show that you're really trying to fix the issue.

Q: How is this WAIRE program being enforced?

A: South Coast AQMD will periodically conduct both desktop and field audits for compliance with the WAIRE Program. The South Coast AQMD staff may contact warehouse owners and operators to request further documentation or clarification on submitted WAIRE Program reports.

Q: What records will the AQMD inspector inquire about?

A: Some of the records that a South Coast AQMD inspector could inquire about include:

• Current contact information of warehouse operator • Truck trip count records • WPCO calculation and plans to earn WAIRE Points • Copy of Initial Site Information Report • Copies Annual WAIRE Report(s) • Copy of any approved Custom WAIRE Plan(s) • Fleet data (invoices, vehicle registration, model year, fuel type, license plate numbers) • Information about any onsite energy generation equipment • Information about any onsite alternative fueling station(s) • Information about any onsite yard truck(s) • Information on any air filter systems or filters installed or replaced • Copies of exemption documentation • Copies of lease agreement

Q: Can our warehouse earn WAIRE points?

A: YES, WAIRE Points may be earned in two ways, through the purchase of near-zero (NZE) and zero emission (ZE) equipment or equipment that facilitates its use, such as Electric Vehicle Charging stations. Also, through the usage of NZE and ZE equipment. WAIRE Points are assigned based on three key parameters, cost, regional emissions reductions, and local emissions reduction.

Q: How do EV chargers count towards WAIRE points?

A: While charging infrastructure on its own does not reduce emissions, this equipment does facilitate emissions reductions by providing additional locations for electric vehicles to obtain power and making it possible for their increased use.

.