As of August 1st, 2009, the nation’s first Green Building Standards Code is in effect in California, announced the California Building Standards Commission recently. Plans for the code were announced last year, and while the code is currently voluntary, mandatory rules should be completed by the end of 2010.

The requirements set high standards, requiring new construction to reduce potable water use by 20 percent, a reduction beyond California’s Energy Code which is already one of the most stringent codes in the country. The code also establishes a two tiered 15 or 30 percent energy reduction above current levels for all buildings through a combination of more efficient appliances and windows, better insulation, and other upgrades. The code also includes improvements to air quality and resource conservation and suggests various site improvements such as parking for hybrid vehicles.

“California continues to lead the way in its efforts to reduce the impact buildings have on our environment. This new code encourages the use of renewable, recyclable, and recycled material in the building process, requiring all California buildings to be constructed with the environment in mind,” said Dave Walls, Executive Director of the Commission. “While the new code is voluntary, it is the first step toward meeting the Governor’s 2010 objective.”

• Download the code from the California Building Standards Commission website
• Related:”California Adopts Nation’s First Statewide Green Building Code” (e-Newswire, 7/23/08)

(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

President Barack Obama and Energy Secretary Steven Chu recently revealed strict new lighting standards and also announced the release of $346 million in Recovery Act funds to finance energy efficiency improvements in homes and commercial buildings.

The new lighting standards will require products imported into or made in the U.S. to meet higher efficiency thresholds starting in 2012, a change that promises significant savings considering that lighting accounts for 7% of U.S. energy consumption. In fact, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) estimates that the new rules will save consumers $1 billion to $4 billion annually from 2012 through 2042, while eliminating the need for up to 7.3 gigawatts of new generating capacity by 2042, equivalent to the output of 14 500MW coal-fired power plants.

Meanwhile, the DOE is releasing $346 million in stimulus funds to support building energy efficiency, including smarter technology and better equipment. Currently, the building sector accounts for around 40% of U.S. energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, making it a prime target for upgrades.

“When it comes to saving money and growing our economy, energy efficiency isn’t just low hanging fruit, it’s fruit lying on the ground,” said Secretary Chu. “The most prosperous, competitive economies of the 21st century will be those that use energy efficiently. It’s time for America to lead the way.”

The funds will be allotted in five major areas including Advanced Building Systems Research ($100m), Commercial Buildings Initiative ($53.5m), Buildings and Appliance Market Transformation ($72.5m), Solid State Lighting Research and Development ($50m) and Residential Buildings Development and Deployment ($70m), and promise to help create new jobs while reducing carbon emissions and improving efficiency.

• Read more: “Obama Adminstration Launches New Energy Efficiency Efforts,” from the Department of Energy
• Related: “President Obama’s First 100 Days: Energy and the Environment” (e-Newswire 5/1/09)

Updated building codes will require new construction to be 10-15% more efficient than 2005 standards

On January 1st, 2010, California will introduce rigorous new codes that raise the energy efficiency of new construction 15 to 20 percent above 2005 standards. The codes, which come as amendments to current Title 24 policies, race ahead of national standards by more than 20 percent and promise significant energy and carbon savings. In fact, new homes built under the code could save their owners between $200 and $600 per year on energy bills, estimates Fred Bell of the Building Industry Association.

Key changes to Title 24 will include:

• The solar home partnership program, which will allow the installation of solar panels to be used as an offset for other areas of construction that might not meet the code requirements.
• Stricter requirements for kitchen water pipe insulation.
• Higher standards for roof, wall and floor insulation
• Minimum two-speed pumps in pools and spas
• Changes in lighting standards to require more efficient light bulbs
• Green building codes aimed at encouraging projects to reach beyond Title 24

The policy will also include more detailed green building standards which will be voluntary at first, but may be adopted as requirements in cities and counties looking to get ahead. “We need the carbon reduction that the green building code will give us, so it can help us get to our AB 32 sustainability goals,” explained Patrick Conlon, city energy manager for Palm Desert.

The updated code will also apply to new retrofits and renovations, and serves as a reminder that while we have come a long way, there is still much we can do to improve efficiency and save energy.

• Read backgound: “State upping mandates for green building,” by K Kaufmann (The Desert Sun, 6/21/09)
• Read the press release from the California Energy Commission regarding the new effective implementation date

Photo: Flickr

Last Thursday, California was awarded $90.4 million in stimulus funds from the Department of Energy’s (DOE) State Energy Program (SEP) to finance energy efficiency projects and promote green jobs. The funding represents 40% of California’s total SEP award, with the initial 10% going to planning, and the remaining 50% to be disbursed once California meets requisite reporting, oversight and accountability milestones.

The award will help to fund a statewide energy efficiency retrofit program as well cost-effective clean energy systems for residential, commercial and industrial buildings and facilities, while the revenue savings generated by these efficiency measures will help fund additional, ongoing efficiency projects.

The California Energy Commission (CEC) also plans to leverage existing partnerships in combination with $20 million in Recovery Act funding to create a more extensive green workforce focused on energy efficiency and renewable energy projects, including wind and solar. Additionally, through June of 2012, the CEC will invest $15 million in building a workforce to tackle alternative fuel and advanced vehicle technology needs.

After demonstrating successful implementation of its plan, California will receive more than $113 million in additional funding, for a total of $226 million for the entire program.

• Read more about the State Energy Program and other CEC recovery programs
• Related: “Stimulus Confirms Importance of Energy Efficiency, Provides Over $30 Billion for Green Energy” (e-Newswire, 2/25/09)

Energy Secretary Steven Chu recently helped lead the way in forming the International Partnership for Energy Efficiency Cooperation.

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu joined with top energy leaders from around the world recently to launch the International Partnership for Energy Efficiency Cooperation (IPEEC). While meeting in Rome, members discussed new clean energy and energy efficiency technologies, ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and investments countries can make to grow their economies and promote development.

“Improving energy saving and energy efficiency is one of the quickest, greenest, and most cost-effective ways to address energy security and climate change, and ensure economic growth,” the Department of Energy (DOE) noted in a recent press release.

Current signatories include members of the Group of 8 - Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States, and key emerging economies including Brazil, China, India, Mexico and the Republic of Korea. IPEEC will serve as a high-level forum for facilitating worldwide efficiency gains, enabling partner nations to exchange information on best practices, policies, and measures for efficient building designs. The agreement promises to help create jobs and boost economies around the world, while furthering the fight against global warming.

• Read the DOE Press Release
• Related: “President Obama’s First 100 Days: Energy and the Environment,” (e-Newswire, 5/01/09)

With 100 days under its belt the Obama administration has made several key decisions that advance a green and energy efficient vision for America.

The federal stimulus package was chock full of money for energy efficiency projects. There was $4.5 billion for federal building efficiency, $2.5 billion for research into energy efficiency and renewable energy, and $6.3 billion for efficiency grants to state and local governments. Overall the stimulus package contained $82.2 billion in green spending and tax incentives, including money for renewable energy, smart-grid technology, low-income housing retrofits, rail transit, and green jobs training.

Obama has appointed a host of officials who are supportive of clean energy and the environment. Notable among them are Energy Secretary Steven Chu, EPA administrator Lisa Jackson, special adviser on climate and energy Carol Browner, Council for Environmental Quality head Nancy Sutley, and green jobs adviser Van Jones.

Other major actions include raising the federal fuel economy standards, reconsidering California’s, and 13 other states’, request to regulate greenhouse gases, and planting an organic vegetable garden at the White House.

Considering all that’s happening in the world this is an impressive set of accomplishments in less than 4 months. Here in California, energy efficiency has been helping our economy and our environment for over 30 years, and now the federal government is seeing the (CFL) light.

• Read more on the importance of energy efficiency in the stimulus package
• Read more on efficiency money and where it’s being spent
• Learn about how cities and towns can apply for stimulus efficiency funds

(Photo: Flickr)

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) brings us yet another report touting the economic benefits of energy efficiency. The report, “Laying the Foundation for Implementing a Federal Energy Efficiency Resource Standard,” analyzes 2008 economic and energy data and estimates benefits of a federal energy efficiency resource standard (EERS) requiring utilities to reduce electricity demand by 15% and natural gas demand by 10% by 2020. The study finds that energy efficiency initiatives that reward consumers and businesses for reducing electricity and gas usage could result in utility bill savings of $168.6 billion.

The report comes as business leaders, industry groups, and environmentalists launch the Campaign for an Energy-Efficient America, a coalition calling on Congress to enact a federal energy efficiency target, and Congress has just proposed even more aggressive cuts to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than the Obama Administration called for. Congress’s proposal would slash national GHG emissions 20% from 2005 levels by 2020.

Although nineteen states have adopted individual EERS programs, the report noted significant benefits that would be achieved by the proposed federal EERS, including:

• 222,000 net permanent, high quality jobs in construction, manufacturing and other fields
• 262 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions prevented - the equivalent of taking 48 million cars of the roads for one year
• 390 power plants that won’t need to be built

While federal energy efficiency initiatives will further reward citizens for their efforts to save energy, energy conservation already saves money at home and at work.

• Read more: “Energy Efficiency Initiatives Could Save $168.6 Billion,” (Clean Edge, 3/25/09)
• Related: “Stimulus Confirms Importance of Energy Efficiency, Provides Over $30 Billion for Green Energy,” (e-Newswire, 2/18/09)

Image: Flickr

By 2012, European businesses will no longer be able to purchase inefficient lighting options. The European Union (E.U.) has moved forward with their plan to phase-out incandescent light bulbs in favor of CFLs and other efficient lighting options, and the predicted energy savings are staggering. The switch is expected to generate savings equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of Belgium, or the yearly output of 20 power stations of 500 megawatts. For their part, consumers will save 11 billion euros (14 billion USD) each year that they would otherwise have spent on energy bills.

Europe is not the only one to see the light. India has launched a project to distribute 400 million CFLs over the next three years, with predicted savings of 10,000 megawatts annually. Other nations implementing phase-outs include Switzerland, Australia, Brazil, and China to name a few. China’s switch to CFLs, if complete, could potentially offset an incredible 500 million tons of carbon dioxide per year.

In Europe, the new regulations have provoked skepticism among some consumers concerned about light quality and the mercury contained in CFLs. Fortunately, today’s CFLs are vastly better than their predecessors, offering the same lighting quality as incandescent bulbs. As for mercury, CFL usage will actually reduce total output. While the average CFL contains about 4 mg of mercury, a power plant will emit 10 mg of mercury while producing the electricity needed for one incandescent bulb over the course of its lifetime. A CFL, in contrast, would result in the emission of only 2.4 mg of mercury over the same period - a net savings of 3.6 mg per bulb.

As CFLs gain popularity around the world, it has never been easier to make the switch, particularly in California where many utilities offer up-front rebates, lowering the cost of the bulbs at the store. By replacing your old bulbs with CFLs, you can save 75% on lighting costs, and help save the planet. It’s a simple solution to a big problem. Switch out your bulbs today.

• Find a store that sells CFLs in your area
• Learn how to recycle your CFLs properly
• Related: “European Union to Ban High Energy Use Light Bulbs,” (e-Newswire, 10/22/08)