California Energy Commission Adopts New Energy Efficiency Standards

The CEC’s 2013 Building Energy Efficiency Standards are 25 percent more efficient than previous standards for residential construction and 30 percent better for nonresidential construction.

Some of the changes to the standards include:

Residential:

• Solar-ready roofs to allow homeowners to add solar photovoltaic panels at a future date;
• More efficient windows to allow increased sunlight, while decreasing heat gain;
• Insulated hot water pipes to save water and energy and reduce the time it takes to deliver hot water;
• Whole house fans to cool homes and attics with evening air, reducing the need for air conditioning load; and
• Air conditioner installation verification to insure efficient operation.

Nonresidential:

• High performance windows, sensors and controls that allow buildings to use "daylighting;"
• Efficient process equipment in supermarkets, computer data centers, commercial kitchens, laboratories, and parking garages;
• Advanced lighting controls to synchronize light levels with daylight and building occupancy, and provide demand response capability;
• Solar-ready roofs to allow businesses to add solar photovoltaic panels at a future date; and
• Cool roof technologies.

To review the new standards, please visit the CEC website.