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West Sacramento building code to be greener than state
Friday, August 6, 2010
Sacramento Business Journal - by Melanie Turner Staff writer
West Sacramento is expected to become an early adopter of a statewide green building code, demanding much-stricter energy and water efficiency standards for commercial and residential construction.
The city Planning Commission recently voted unanimously to recommend the City Council approve the early adoption of CalGreen, and make some of the legislation’s voluntary sections mandatory, including boosting energy efficiency by 15 percent.
CalGreen, which was adopted by the California Building Standards Commission this year, takes effect Jan. 1. CalGreen is the nation’s first statewide green building standards code.
The legislation requires all new buildings — with a few exceptions, such as federal buildings — to install green plumbing; use low-pollutant emitting paint, carpet and flooring; and divert 50 percent of construction waste from landfills to recycling.
Under CalGreen, indoor water use must be cut by 20 percent, and energy systems, such as heating and air conditioning, will be subject to stricter inspections.
Commercial buildings will be required to have separate indoor and outdoor water meters. And larger landscape projects must have moisture-sensing irrigation systems to prevent unnecessary use.
The water conservation provision becomes law July 1 so manufacturers have enough time to have an adequate supply of low-flow toilets and water-conserving faucets.
West Sacramento had been developing its own green building ordinance leading up to the state’s adoption of CalGreen. City employees consider CalGreen to be a “strong and viable” alternative to the city’s own draft ordinance. With the adoption of voluntary provisions, the city’s regulations would be “comparable in many ways to a unique ordinance,” said Randy Goodwin, the city’s building official.
The City Council is scheduled to discuss the requirements Aug. 18. If approved, the energy component would also need approval from the California Energy Commission. The commission could consider the item as early as Sept. 18.
If approved, West Sacramento would be the first city to adopt much-stricter green building standards in the region. A handful of cities, most of which are in the Bay Area, have adopted green building ordinances already, Goodwin said.
“In the Sacramento region, we’re one of the first, probably the first, taking a look at adopting CalGreen before it’s required,” he said.
Goodwin added that by adopting CalGreen early, new construction would comply with the state law and the city’s staff would be “up to speed to get the information out to the developers and builders.”
“We definitely appreciate that the local jurisdiction is going forward with the state standards,” said Bob Raymer, senior engineer and technical director for the California Building Industry Association. “The building industry supports what West Sacramento is doing.”
The “huge benefit” to West Sacramento’s approach is administrative, Raymer said. City employees who do plan checks and inspections to ensure buildings meet seismic and structural standards will also conduct inspections to make sure green building standards are met.
“Some jurisdictions, particularly those in the Bay Area, may have a third-party private-sector entity in charge of documenting compliance,” Raymer said. “They may be totally removed from the building department.”
As a result, designers, builders and subcontractors have to make two trips, one to the city building department and another to the third-party entity.
“In many cases, there’s a whole lot of overlap,” he said. “If we could just have one entity in charge of it all, that just makes it a whole lot nicer.”
If approved, West Sacramento’s building standards regulations would exceed the state requirements by:
■Requiring kitchen faucets and dishwashers that are more efficient than CalGreen standards.
■Requiring new residential construction to install low-water consumption irrigation systems that use soaker hoses and drip irrigation, for example, as opposed to rotating spray heads.
■Requiring a 30 percent cut in water use for commercial construction, as opposed to 20 percent under CalGreen.
■Requiring separate outdoor water meters for nonresidential landscaping of 500 square feet or larger, as opposed to the 1,000-square-foot minimum under CalGreen.
■Exceeding California energy-efficiency standards by 15 percent for new construction.
melanieturner@bizjournals.com | 916-558-7859
Friday, August 6, 2010
Sacramento Business Journal - by Melanie Turner Staff writer
West Sacramento is expected to become an early adopter of a statewide green building code, demanding much-stricter energy and water efficiency standards for commercial and residential construction.
The city Planning Commission recently voted unanimously to recommend the City Council approve the early adoption of CalGreen, and make some of the legislation’s voluntary sections mandatory, including boosting energy efficiency by 15 percent.
CalGreen, which was adopted by the California Building Standards Commission this year, takes effect Jan. 1. CalGreen is the nation’s first statewide green building standards code.
The legislation requires all new buildings — with a few exceptions, such as federal buildings — to install green plumbing; use low-pollutant emitting paint, carpet and flooring; and divert 50 percent of construction waste from landfills to recycling.
Under CalGreen, indoor water use must be cut by 20 percent, and energy systems, such as heating and air conditioning, will be subject to stricter inspections.
Commercial buildings will be required to have separate indoor and outdoor water meters. And larger landscape projects must have moisture-sensing irrigation systems to prevent unnecessary use.
The water conservation provision becomes law July 1 so manufacturers have enough time to have an adequate supply of low-flow toilets and water-conserving faucets.
West Sacramento had been developing its own green building ordinance leading up to the state’s adoption of CalGreen. City employees consider CalGreen to be a “strong and viable” alternative to the city’s own draft ordinance. With the adoption of voluntary provisions, the city’s regulations would be “comparable in many ways to a unique ordinance,” said Randy Goodwin, the city’s building official.
The City Council is scheduled to discuss the requirements Aug. 18. If approved, the energy component would also need approval from the California Energy Commission. The commission could consider the item as early as Sept. 18.
If approved, West Sacramento would be the first city to adopt much-stricter green building standards in the region. A handful of cities, most of which are in the Bay Area, have adopted green building ordinances already, Goodwin said.
“In the Sacramento region, we’re one of the first, probably the first, taking a look at adopting CalGreen before it’s required,” he said.
Goodwin added that by adopting CalGreen early, new construction would comply with the state law and the city’s staff would be “up to speed to get the information out to the developers and builders.”
“We definitely appreciate that the local jurisdiction is going forward with the state standards,” said Bob Raymer, senior engineer and technical director for the California Building Industry Association. “The building industry supports what West Sacramento is doing.”
The “huge benefit” to West Sacramento’s approach is administrative, Raymer said. City employees who do plan checks and inspections to ensure buildings meet seismic and structural standards will also conduct inspections to make sure green building standards are met.
“Some jurisdictions, particularly those in the Bay Area, may have a third-party private-sector entity in charge of documenting compliance,” Raymer said. “They may be totally removed from the building department.”
As a result, designers, builders and subcontractors have to make two trips, one to the city building department and another to the third-party entity.
“In many cases, there’s a whole lot of overlap,” he said. “If we could just have one entity in charge of it all, that just makes it a whole lot nicer.”
If approved, West Sacramento’s building standards regulations would exceed the state requirements by:
■Requiring kitchen faucets and dishwashers that are more efficient than CalGreen standards.
■Requiring new residential construction to install low-water consumption irrigation systems that use soaker hoses and drip irrigation, for example, as opposed to rotating spray heads.
■Requiring a 30 percent cut in water use for commercial construction, as opposed to 20 percent under CalGreen.
■Requiring separate outdoor water meters for nonresidential landscaping of 500 square feet or larger, as opposed to the 1,000-square-foot minimum under CalGreen.
■Exceeding California energy-efficiency standards by 15 percent for new construction.
melanieturner@bizjournals.com | 916-558-7859