Green Building Codes

In July 2010, the California Building Standards Commission (CBSC) adopted the 2010 California Green Building Standards Code, otherwise known as “CalGreen”, which shall become effective January 1, 2011. This code is made up of mandatory provisions and two tiers of voluntary provisions. The county has amended CalGreen to include Tier 1 as a mandatory provision as this level of green building is equivalent to the green building program the county had in place prior to the adoption of CalGreen. The State code is meant to set the minimum floor, and does not prohibit local governments from going above and beyond the standards established by the code where certain findings based on local geography, topography, climate, and environment can be made.
Title 24
Also in July 2010, California adopted the 2010 California Energy Code. By adopting CalGreen with Tier 1 as mandatory, energy efficiency requirements of this tier exceeds the requirements set forth by the California Energy Code (Title 24, Part 6 of the California Code of Regulations) by 15%. Any green building program that exceeds Title 24 must be approved by the California Energy Commission (CEC), and requires an energy cost effective study, and energy efficiency ordinance to be submitted to the CEC for approval. The county had this done under the previous green building program, however, because CalGreen is a different program, the CEC requires re-submittal of these documents for approval under the new green building program. It is possible that the CEC will require further modification of the green building/energy efficiency ordinance before they will approve of the county exceeding Title 24 by 15%.
AB 811
Although green building is important in reducing the carbon footprint of new construction, it is important to keep it in context with the potential for carbon footprint reductions of existing construction. New construction accounts for a small fraction of the greenhouse gas emissions relative to existing structures, so the overall impact of a green building program on carbon reductions is relatively small. Thus seeking ways to reduce carbon footprints of existing structures is also important. In July 2008, Assembly Bill 811 was approved, which allows property owners to enter into contractual assessments to finance the installation of distributed generation renewable energy sources or energy efficiency improvements that are permanently fixed to existing homes and businesses. Implementation of AB 811 may therefore provide a mechanism for dramatic energy efficiency gains and greenhouse gas reductions. In September, the Board directed staff to pursue development of an AB 811 program for Sonoma County. This program became operational in May 2009 and is known as the Sonoma County Energy Independence Program. (SCEIP)