This one is from my neck of the woods, Sacramento, California. Yesterday, California became the first state in the US to approve green building standards.
“The plan, adopted by the California Building Standards Commission, requires that all new construction – from commercial buildings to homes, schools and hospitals – reduce energy usage by 15 percent, water use by 20 percent and water for landscaping by 50 percent. A voluntary form of the code is scheduled to kick in on July 1, 2009.”
The code for right now is voluntary but the CBSC is working on making it mandatory by the end of 2010. There are no regulations on how builders can make these reductions so you know builders are going to get creative, in a good way I hope. This new code/law is another step towards California’s very ambitious goal (AB32) of reducing the state’s greenhouse gas emissions 30% within the next 12 years. For those unfamiliar with AB32, you can read up on it here.
Original news article via SF Gate.
THE GGG VIEW
I have a feeling that this code could swing construction either way. On one side the code could finally push construction companies to stop wasting materials and really pay attention to reducing energy usage. On the other side it could force construction companies to cut corners elsewhere in order to meet the green building standards. Due to the fact that “green” building materials costs more than non “green” materials. The same goes for Energy Star or energy efficient appliances, they will cost you more up front but will save you more over the long run. Though after doing a little research on the energystar website I found that if you purchase an Energy Star Qualified home that you qualify for special Energy Star Financing availble through special lendors. I do not know what the special financing entails but it is something to look into.
I would like to see this code push builders to create even more energy efficient homes/buildings then is required. Maybe California will be the next place you see one of these babies. Also this code is also just a minimum level meaning counties can require new buildings to be even more energy efficient.
2 responses so far ↓
Why Should We Build Green? « GGG: Guys Going Green // August 1, 2008 at 1:45 pm
[...] of the “green movement”. If you recall we talked about Green Building in Spain and in California. I would love to see more states adopt stricter green building standards because the harder we push, [...]
balambert // August 14, 2008 at 6:28 am
The State of Maine Legislature is looking into “An Act To Establish a Uniform Building and Energy Code” that will align all the building codes in the State. The focus will be on establishing a process that expects all new homes constructed in the State after 2010 to meet energy efficiency standards outlined by Energy Star, RESNET, Building Performance Institute (BPI), ASHRAE 62.2 and Maine Home Performance.
It’s a good plan that will work as long as contractors and homeowners are properly educated / trained on the appropriate building technniques. And they use qualified individuals to do whole house performance audits.
If the cost of fuel oil stays up it will be pushed through, but if it drops like it did 30-years ago it will come to a stand still…again.
So, everyone needs to keep pushing. As one client once told me “The squeaky wheel gets the grease.”