$20k is "gut and rewire everything in an expensive metro area" kind of money.
Plus, lots of places require these to be buried. So you've got trenching costs and that's a pain too. $20k is definitely within the ballpark of a cost.
But my point is, if someone need to do all of these things, it's for a reason. And these tasks aren't "upgrade a circuit", they're, "upgrade my home's electrical service"
If you need to upgrade your panel it can easily cost $100k.
if you can't afford to meet construction requirements then you can't afford to construct, i guess
Building codes and related permitting regulations were established to ensure safety, and accepted by the public under those auspices.
The addition of novel, non-safety related political requirements exceeds this original remit and undermines the entire telos of residential building codes.
This inescapably leads to reduced compliance with the regulatory process, and thus, less-safe housing.
So, yes, “overly burdensome”.
Here, you’re required to choose at least three expensive improvements from a set of eight (iirc), ranging from relatively cheap (electric vehicle charger) to very expensive (rooftop solar).
My home was built in the 1970s, the bathrooms had mold and had to be gutted, and the place was in desperate need of a remodel just to be livable.
I already have rooftop solar and an electrical vehicle charger, but that’s not enough.
I was expected to spend roughly an extra $40k — on top of a $120k remodel — adding additional features and replacing perfectly good portions of my home to meet Boulder’s climate goals.
I can’t afford that, but my house isn’t livable as-is.
As a result, I’m having a bunch of work done without permitting or inspection.
I hate it, but that’s the Faustian bargain people choose when government tries to leverage safety regulations as a stick to enforce expensive, non-safety related ends.