The WAIRE program was founded by the South Coast Air Quality Management District in an attempt to reduce hazardous emissions. Many Counties in southern California were suffering from poor air quality, primarily because of the diesel and nitrogen emissions made by various warehouses. Initially, nobody took this problem too seriously, but as time passed, the number of people affected by this problem increased drastically.
Eventually, the South Coast ACQMD stepped in to analyze the situation, after which it determined that the hazardous emissions in the air were one of the biggest reasons why thousands of California residents were suffering. This led to the creation of the WAIRE program.
The Warehouse Actions and Investments to Reduce Emissions program was met with a fair bit of criticism initially from many individuals who operated or owned warehouses. However, the program was still approved despite the disapproval of many people.
How Does WAIRE Regulate Warehouses?
The WAIRE program has a detailed structure based on points that closely regulates warehouses for a wide range of actions, one of which is their use of equipment and vehicles that emit diesel, nitrogen or other hazardous fuel sources. Since there are thousands of warehouses present in different California based counties, the amount of hazardous emissions was increasing day by day and the South Coast AQMD decided to create a program where it could minimize and potentially eliminate this problem.
This is why the WAIRE program encourages warehouse operators and owners to use eco-friendly energy sources and minimize the use of anything that releases an excess amount of greenhouse gas. WAIRE is fairly new and many people are unaware of what they need to do to comply by its guidelines. Mentioned below are some things you need to keep in mind to ensure you follow the program’s requirements properly:
Main Factors of WAIRE Guidelines
Anyone who operates or owns a warehouse in the South Coast must provide basic information of their facility in order to follow the WAIRE program. After the SCAQMD approves your information, you will be able to access the program’s online portal where you can enter your reports. You must also fill a Warehouse Operations Notification form, where you will need to provide information regarding your warehouse along with its tenants. If you are an operator, you will need to give two forms.
The first thing you need to do to abide by the WAIRE program’s guidelines is to provide an annual WAIRE report for every compliance period. For those wondering, this report lists the WAIRE Points Compliance Obligation and the total points operators earned. Besides the annual report, operators must also submit an ISIR (Initial Site Information Report) for the commencing compliance period when operating at the warehouse. It is also worth keeping in mind that you must provide another Initial Site Information Report if operators go to other warehouses.
Alternative Energy Accepted by WAIRE
Equipment that creates alternative energy are excellent for making clean energy with renewable or resources or natural processes. More often than not, factors like the time and weather dictate the availability of such resources. Back in the day, when there was no artificial power, people used natural energy sources for things like transportation, heating and lighting.
Contrary to popular belief, alternative and renewable technologies did not come about recently. If anything, they have been around for many decades as people have used turbines, solar devices and other equipment for a variety of things.
Solar energy is among the most popular renewable and alternative energy sources out there. While diesel, nitrogen and various other sources may be convenient for many, they are not the best long term solution. What makes matters worse is the fact that artificial energy sources are incredibly dangerous for the environment. Solar energy, on the other hand, is quite safe and even cost effective for the long term. So, if your warehouse is present in a location that gets regular air, it would be best to make the most of a commercial solar installation.
However, if your location isn’t airy, you can make use of solar energy equipment. With many countries taking measures to become more eco-friendly, there has been a notable rise in equipment that use solar energy. You will find vehicles, air conditioners, solar electricity panels and a variety of other items that run on solar energy. Many people hesitate when the idea of generating solar electricity is brought up. This is mainly because they think the equipment and installation process could be too costly.
While the initial cost may be slightly high, solar energy equipment can be an excellent long term investment, especially when you consider you don’t have to worry about paying hefty electricity bills. If anything, you can generate your own electricity and sell it.
How Does This Program Incentivize Warehouse Facilities?
This program regulates warehouses with a 100,000 square feet space located inside one building. Currently, an average of thirty five hundred warehouse operators and owners fall under the compliance and reporting standards of this program. As discussed earlier, many warehouse facilities have a hard time following WAIRE’s guidelines.
Most of them struggle with the change because of the expense behind it. Getting vehicles and equipment that use clean energy can be quite costly. For those wondering, the program requires warehouse operators and owners to use zero emission trucks and other transportation units for safeguarding the environment.
That said, WAIRE incentivizes owners and operators by ensuring they get WAIRE points by using eco-friendly equipment and transportation systems. You can also gain this program’s points for every trip you make on a zero emission or near zero emission vehicles.
The South Coast Air Quality Management district knows the various difficulties warehouses face when making the shift to environmentally sustainable operations, which is why it lets warehouse owner purchase WAIRE points. You can get these points by paying an emissions mitigation fee to comply with the program’s guidelines.
Ever since this program was introduced, there have been some improvements in the South Coast’s environment. With time, more and more warehouse owners are co-operating with WAIRE’s requirements and if things go smoothly, there is a huge likelihood that California’s air quality could improve by ten to twenty percent by 2030. You can also expect some revisions and additions to the program down the line to facilitate warehousing facilities.
Can this Program Make A Difference?
Ever since the WAIRE program was introduced, many people have wondered whether it could make a difference. Well, it depends on how strictly it is enforced and how seriously warehouse facilities follow it. Whatever people feel about WAIRE, one thing is clear, it has the right intention. Poor air quality has been a massive problem in the South Coast and it has affected many people, to the point that some even get hospitalized due to respiratory issues.
If every warehouse in California starts using clean energy and minimizes the use of vehicles and equipment that use diesel or nitrogen, there could be a massive improvement. So, it would be fair to claim that the WAIRE program can definitely make a huge difference in the short and long term if followed properly.
Coldwell Solar Can Help You Become WAIRE Compliant
If you own or operate a warehouse in any California area that falls under WAIRE regulations, you must comply with the program’s requirements. In most cases, following the guidelines is easier said than done. There are plenty of details that you may miss out on and it could cost you valuable WAIRE points. While you can take the time to understand every tiny intricacy involved the WAIRE program, it can be quite time consuming and may cause you to lose focus of your day to day operations.
This is where Coldwell Solar can help you as its experts are well versed with everything about where. Once you get in touch with Coldwell Solar, their team will inspect your location and counsel you regarding how your warehouse operations can become more energy efficient.
What’s more, they can also help you determine the right location to install solar panels, wind turbines or hydroelectricity equipment. This can save you a great deal of time and energy, ensuring you can incorporate the changes correctly and earn WAIRE points. Once Coldwell Solar’s team is done with your facility, you can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that you don’t have to worry about checking the program’s requirements time and time again.
