01/02/2024
NEWS FLASH 🗞️
The state of California is REQUIRING solar power! On January 1, 2020, The California Solar Mandate took effect, making it the first mandate of it’s kind to be enforced in the U.S. The standards’ main focuses are solar systems, thermal standards, and ventilation and lighting requirements.
As part of California’s Building Energy Efficiency Standards (updated every three years), in 2019 requirements were placed mandating all buildings with permits dated on or after January 1, 2020 to comply with guidelines. These guidelines state that new buildings are required to be “solar ready.” Buildings included are hotels/motels, single-family and multi-family residences, and non-residential facilities. Also within these standards, buildings are required to have “no obstructions” within the solar zone, ensuring maximum system usage and capabilities.
The California Energy Commission also made more recent updates to their Energy Efficiency standards in 2022 (effective January of 2023), focused on expanding their solar system and battery storage requirements. With the new standards, battery storage is expected to allow for onsite energy to be readily “available when needed”, therefore reducing the grid’s “reliance on fossil fuel power plants.”
Though it can be argued that requiring solar systems be installed on new builds will increase the prices of homes, it’s estimated that it’ll save homeowners roughly $20,000 in energy costs over a 30 year period! When broken down, it’s assumed the average homeowner’s cost will increase ~$40 added to a monthly home payment, but save ~$80/month on heating, cooling, and lighting bills!
With their efficiency standards being in place and expanding, the CEC states, “Under these new standards, buildings will perform better than ever…”
California’s Energy Commission is setting these standards in alignment with their goal to achieve clean energy being readily available and with hopes of the state achieving being on a “100% clean energy grid” by 2045!
Join California in making a clean change! ☀️😎
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