State regulators with the California Energy Commission are expected to approve stringent energy efficiency standards for new residential and commercial buildings Thursday.
The new standards, which would take effect Jan. 1, 2014, include a host of common-sense standards designed to save energy, from insulating hot-water pipes to making sure that air conditioner installations are inspected for sufficient air flow.
But the proposed standards also require new homes and commercial buildings to have “solar ready roofs” — a mandatory requirement that will be a boon for the state’s growing rooftop solar industry.
Rooftop solar systems use photovoltaic solar panels to generate electricity. But their performance is affected by many factors, from the age of the roof to how it is situated — ideally, it should face south. “Shading” is also an issue: Roofs should have clear, unobstructed access to the sun for most of the day. Attic vents, fans, skylights and chimneys can also influence how many solar panels a roof can hold.
The new regulations update Building Energy Efficiency Standards contained in the California Code of Regulations, commonly known as Title 24. Home and building owners will not be required to install solar panels, but if they choose to do so, their roof will be ready.
“This will be great for everybody who buys a house and wants to put solar on the roof,” Commissioner Karen Douglas said in an interview Wednesday. “Your roof must be able to support a solar photovoltaic system.”
Other standards for new homes include requiring whole-house fans, which use evening air to cool homes and attics and reduce the need for central air conditioning, and improved window performance to reduce heat loss in the winter and heat gain in the summer. Commercial buildings will be asked to use advanced lighting controls to synchronize lighting with building occupancy, reducing the amount of electricity used.
The Energy Commission says the new standards will add about $11 a month to the cost of a new home, but the various efficiency gains should reduce consumer utility bills by $27 a month.
Though California’s housing industry has slowed during the recession, the Construction Industry Research Board is projecting 57,000 total permits will be pulled in 2012, up from 47,147 in 2011.
California’s first building energy efficiency standards went into effect in 1978 and have been regularly updated since then to take new technology into account. A new home or commercial building built to the 2013 standards will use about 25 percent less energy for lighting, heating, cooling, ventilation and water heating than one built to 2008 standards.
Contact Dana Hull at 408-920-2706.
Originally Published: May 30, 2012 at 9:07 AM PDT
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