California Center for Sustainable Energy

New construction now under “green building” codes

A comprehensive blueprint for achieving sustainability in newly constructed buildings and residences will roll out as California’s “green building” code becomes mandatory on Jan. 1, 2011. Once again, California is paving the way in energy efficiency and environmental health with the nation’s first statewide building standards that require advanced building practices to conserve energy, improve indoor air quality, reduce water use and curb greenhouse gas emissions.

The Green Building Standards Code, known simply as CalGreen, is part of California’s Title 24 building codes that were updated and reissued in 2010. CalGreen was developed by the state’s Building Standards Commission and the Department of Housing and Community Development and finalized earlier this year. The code comes in response to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s direction to set clean energy standards for California.

“The code will help us meet our goals of curbing global warming and achieving 33 percent renewable energy by 2020 and promotes the development of more sustainable communities by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving energy efficiency in every new home, office building or public structure,” Schwarzenegger stated.

CalGreen lays out new mandatory green measures for both residential and nonresidential building and further prescribes elective steps that exceed standards and may qualify for utility incentives, according to John Gillett, general manager of Energy Inspectors’ California operations. Gillett gave a presentation on the specific requirements of CalGreen at CCSE recently that packed the Energy Resource Center workshop with architects, building contractors, city inspectors and others anxious to get up to speed on the new regulations.

The CalGreen code includes:

• Indoor air standards that will limit moisture intrusion and the use of formaldehyde, volatile organic compounds and other pollutants

• A 20 percent reduction in indoor water use

• A 50 percent reduction in construction waste

• Occupant information on recycling, maintenance and operation that orients homeowners on how to maintain a "greener" lifestyle

• A comprehensive appendix that contains measures local government may use to go beyond the mandatory code minimum

Saying that some parts of CalGreen are very clear in what is prescribed while other parts are not so clear, Gillett heralded the new codes as an opportunity to improve public health, safety and welfare by enhancing the construction of buildings throughout the state. He explained that building designers and contractors should not simply select the procedures and products that comply with the code, but also make sure that the measures they take will meet the performance expectations of their customers.

Gillett estimates that the cost of complying with CalGreen requirements will be nearly insignificant, adding perhaps as little as one-half percent to total construction project costs. A full version of the CalGreen codes can be found at www.documents.dgs.ca.gov/bsc/CALGreen/2010_CA_Green_Bldg.pdf.

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