Starting Jan. 1, 2014, all new residential and commercial buildings in California will need to have “solar-ready” roofs thanks to new building guidelines approved by the California Energy Commission last week. This does not mean, however, that all homes will have to have solar panels installed; they must simply be able to accommodate them.
After Jan. 1, 2014, when the new guidelines are scheduled to take effect, all new residential and commercial roofs will have to meet a series of ideal conditions as closely as possible to be deemed solar-ready, including:
- Having part of an angled roof facing south
- Having as much access to unobstructed sunlight as possible
- Having skylight and chimneys that can work around the system
The new standards build on the initial guidelines established in 1978, which the commission says have saved Californians $66 billion on their energy bills.
The solar-ready requirement is part of a larger group of new building guidelines approved by the commission; the others include updates on window insulation, lighting, and air-conditioning systems.
To read the rest of the story, click here.
Related Stories
Energy Efficiency
20% of the Country's Planet-Heating Emissions Come From Powering Homes
A significant chunk of planet-heating emissions generated by the U.S. (20%) can be attributed to heating, cooling, and lighting the country’s 128…
Community Development
The Largest Net-Zero Community Will Have 21,000 Homes
Developer FivePoint Valencia broke ground on a new 21,000-home project that will become the largest net-zero community in the country. Homes will…
Sustainability
Natural Gas: To Ban or Not to Ban?
States and cities are in a battle about whether natural gas should be banned in new homes and buildings. Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma, Tennessee,…
