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Bill to Enforce Green-Building Rules in Construction

mark handler

mark handler

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Williams Introduces Bill to Enforce Green-Building Rules in Construction

By Josh Molina for Assemblyman Das Williams | Published on 02.24.2014 11:18 a.m.

http://www.noozhawk.com/article/williams_bill_to_enforce_green-building_rules_construction_20140224

Assemblyman Das Williams, D-Santa Barbara, has introduced AB 1918, a bill designed to better enforce rules for green building.

“Energy efficiency is a top priority in California,” Williams said. “We are recognized as leaders in the nation, and we must continue to uphold that reputation by staying proactive and enforcing the laws we have.”

AB 1918 aims to develop ways to improve compliance with Title 24, which created energy efficiency standards for the installation of lighting, insulation, windows, heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems designed to reduce energy consumption.

Williams said Santa Barbara County has a stellar compliance rate, but that other regions across the state must follow their lead. The effectiveness of these standards depends on compliance and enforcement of the standards after permitting and post-installation, Williams said.

"Assemblymember Das Williams' introduction of AB 1918 addresses the crucial ‘Last Mile’ of the code adoption chain," said Paul Wermer of the U.S. Green Building Council California. "CALGreen represents significant achievement, but any code is only as good as the extent it is followed and enforced. Ultimately, meeting our energy efficiency challenges and achieving our goals depends upon getting this right."

Other environmental advocates believe the legislation, introduced last week, is needed.

“Making our homes and buildings more energy-efficient is good for California because it will help homeowners and businesses save money while cleaning-up our air and cutting climate pollution,” said Victoria Rome, California legislative director for the Natural Resources Defense Council. “We look forward to working with Assemblyman Williams to ensure that this incredible consumer-savings opportunity is realized for everyone.”

— Josh Molina represents Assemblyman Das Williams.
 
SECTION 1. Section 7110.05 is added to the Business and Professions Code, to read:

7110.05. The board shall, pursuant to Section 7110, develop a system to track air conditioner appliance sales and installations in the state and to ensure that air conditioner appliance systems are installed according to applicable building codes and with the necessary permits.

SEC. 2. Section 381.3 is added to the Public Utilities Code, to read:

381.3. The commission shall open a new proceeding or expand the scope of an existing proceeding to establish, by January 1, 2016, an incentive program for contractors and local governments to improve the verification of building code compliance and acceptance of air conditioner appliance systems following installation. The incentives may include all of the following:

(a) Funding for training and certification programs for air conditioning system installers and local government building officials.

(b) Technical and financial support to establish performance protocols necessary to verify performance compliance of air conditioner appliance systems.

© Grants to assist local agencies in offsetting costs associated with expediting the permitting of air conditioning appliance systems that are designed to achieve greater compliance with state and local building permit requirements.

(d) Funding for the development of a system to track air conditioner appliance sales and installations pursuant to Section 7110.05 of the Business and Professions Code.
 
Something seems wrong here, we've had Title 24 since 1998, we've had our statewide Energy Code for about 2-1/2 years, and the Green Code statewide for 2 years, the Green Code has almost nothing to due with energy efficiency, other than to require 15% higher than Title 24 compliance. If there is a failure needing ever more legislation the failure must be in enforcement.
 
(a) Funding for training and certification programs for air conditioning system installers and local government building officials.

That's a start conarb...
 
The CalGreen code was introduced in the 2010 code cycle.

Almost all construction exempted, now under the 2013, most construction, not exempt.

2013 more energy efficent, and "greener" construction, ie waste recycling, water conservation.....

Enforced by BO, Inspectors and BD staff.
 
JBI said:
(a) Funding for training and certification programs for air conditioning system installers and local government building officials.That's a start conarb...
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More money to the government as usual, an example of enforcement: VOC levels for caulkings, sealants, and foams? Jobsite ventilation requirements for workers?

I see they are requiring a lot of written certifications, like Special Inspections, we've been providing Special Inspection reports since 1998, maybe they are going to require continuous inspections to certify that windows are kept open during construction? Certifying caulking tubes and paint cans? Maybe the recommendation of special categories of continuous inspection will come to pass. The last house I built the owner asked: "With all these layers of inspections why do we even have to pay for municipal inspectors?"
 
Some of the Updates to California Energy Codes

Amendments to Title 24 and Title 20 will increase Energy-efficiency

Title 24 serves as the basis for design and construction of buildings in California and Title 20 covers appliance efficiency regulations. Both are in the process of being amended for 2013.

Title 24, is amended every three years to comply with the Warren-Alquist act, which requires that building energy-efficiency standards be updated regularly.

Policy goals for the 2013 Title 24 amendments include net-zero energy levels for residences by 2020, greenhouse gas reduction targets for 2020 and 2050, and a reduction in the average statewide electrical energy consumption by 2018 for indoor residential lighting by at least 50 percent.

Currently, in order to determine if an LED luminaire is high- or low-efficacy, an efficacy calculation is used.

high-efficacy, a luminaire is certified by the manufacturer to the CEC under penalty of perjury, but it has to be a residential fixture.

A number of luminaires that are certified are not residential. Beyond the efficacy requirement, certification requires a minimum of 90 CRI and a color temperature of 2700K to 4000K for indoor use and 2700K to 5000K for outdoor use.

2013 change, each bathroom must have a minimum of one high-efficacy luminaire, which can be on any kind of switch, and any low-efficacy luminaires have to be on a vacancy sensor.

Luminaires in any rooms classified as “utility” — which include laundry rooms, garages and utility rooms — have to be both high-efficacy and fitted with vacancy sensors.

--For low-rise (three stories) multi-family outdoor lighting, the CEC clarified that lighting attached to the building can meet either the residential or non-residential standard and any outdoor site lighting has to meet the non-residential outdoor lighting standard.

--Currently, luminaires in interior common areas of low-rise multi-family buildings have to be high-efficacy or on a motion sensor. In the 2013 changes, if common areas compose less than 20 percent of the building, the requirements are the same. However, if a building is more than 20 percent common area, it is now treated as non-residential.

The 2013 standards were adopted by the Energy Commission on May 31, 2012 and will be printed by the California Building Standard Committee in June 2013. The effective date is Jan. 1, 2014.

With the new 2013 standards, residential energy savings over the 2008 standards will be 23.6 GWh/yr, 1.1 Mtherms/yr and 35 MW. This means a single-family home will be 25 percent more energy-efficient.

Title 20 Updates

Title 20 requires that all regulated appliances sold or offered for sale in California be certified by manufacturers to the CEC. Portable luminaires and light bulbs were affected by Title 20 in 2010, when new requirements mandated that lamps sold in the state have dedicated sockets for fluorescent light sources or be sold with a fluorescent bulb — a solution nicknamed “bulb-in-a-box.”

As an update to Title 20 in 2013, the CEC has proposed a voluntary California Quality LED lamp standard, which would function similarly to an Energy Star® plus standard, according to Flamm. Quality LED lamps would need to meet four requirements: a minimum of 90 CRI (only 2700K and 3000K), dimmability, longevity of more than 25,000 hours, and defined as directional or omni-directional light distribution.

“Our hope with this standard is that the CPUC will direct the utilities to rebate on nothing less that a California Quality lamp,” Flamm explained.

A workshop will be hosted by the CEC on Oct. 11 to discuss the voluntary LED specification. After consideration of comments, the CEC would then approve the Staff Report in November or December of this year. Flamm says that so far, most of the industry members he’s spoken to about this voluntary standard are supportive.

Even the American Lighting Assn. (ALA), which believes that the industry and consumers are better served by universal action, not state/province initiatives, authorized Director of Engineering Terry McGowan to participate on this CEC task force to develop the California Quality LED lamp.
 
Mark:

So are you going to inspect every light bulb? The last home I built had $17,000 worth of light bulbs, I guess they'll save the planet, the inspector didn't look at them, he said: "Wow, look at all the LEDs." Everything was specified by the lighting designer ($10,000 fee), I didn't look at them but I don't think all are LEDs, there were over 100 recessed spots in overhangs on motion detectors and I did hear that they weren't available as LEDs, from what I heard there are going to be adapters that will allow LEDs to be plugged into conventional recessed cans.
 
conarb said:
So are you going to inspect every light bulb? The last home I built had $17,000 worth of light bulbs.
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That'll be less of a problem once we get to the point of limiting the size of new homes to 350 s.f. per occupant, with an allowance for two lights per room.
 
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