by Shane Henson — June 6, 2012—States seeking to put commercial buildings on a real path toward energy efficiency can once again turn to the Golden State for pointers. In a move to reduce energy costs, save consumers money, and increase comfort, the California Energy Commission (CEC) recently approved energy efficiency standards for commercial buildings and new homes.
According to the Energy Commission, its new standards are 30% more efficient than previous standards for nonresidential construction and 25% more efficient for residential construction. The standards will take effect January 1, 2014.
Some improved measures for the nonresidential standards include:
- 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 to provide demand response capability; and
- Solar-ready roofs to allow businesses to add solar photovoltaic panels at a future date.
- Efficient process equipment in supermarkets, computer data centers, commercial kitchens, laboratories, and parking garages;
The Energy Commission says that after 30 years of implementing the nonresidential and residential standards, California will save nearly 14,000 megawatt hours, or enough electricity to power 1.7 million homes and avoid the need to construct six new power plants.
