State of California Adopts New Energy Standards

Appear in: California Builder - Jan/Feb. 2004

The California Energy Commission has adopted 2005 Building Energy Efficiency Standards, concluding the public process that began in October 2001. The new standards are expected to take effect in October 2005.

With support from CBIA members, it was determined that the adopted standards will cost between $700 to $3200 per home, depending on construction style and which energy-efficiency features are selected. The average cost per home would be approximately $1,850.

The majority of these costs are attributed to the national appliance standards increasing the water heater efficiency to 0.58 energy factor in 2004 and increasing the air conditioner efficiency to 12.0 SEER in 2006. New high-efficiency lighting requirements throughout the house will add another $450.

Besides the increase in stringency of the energy code, the largest changes from the current standards are the requirements for high-efficiency lighting throughout the house. Kitchens will be required to have fluorescent lighting, while bathrooms, utility rooms, and laundry rooms will require either fluorescent lighting or occupancy sensors.

Other interior spaces will require fluorescent lighting, occupancy sensors, or dimmers, while exterior lighting will need either fluorescent bulbs or photos sensor/motion sensor. The minimum acceptable fluorescent fixture is required to be hard-wired and rapid-start.

The CEC will implement a compliance credit soon to encourage early adoption of these lighting requirements. This increased demand is expected to help lower the cost as well as raise the availability of these fixtures.

The emphases of the standards have shifted from annual consumption to time-dependent valuation. In air conditioning areas, the energy-efficiency features that impact summer peak will have greater impact than before.

Source: Mike Hodgson, CBIA Energy Commission Vice Chair