The Golden State Is Leading the Charge for Solar Energy
The nation’s most populous state has also become the most energy efficient. California is leading the way when it comes to investing clean, sustainable, renewable energy. The state recently made several changes aimed at reducing carbon emissions that contribute to climate change, including one related to home energy and another focused on electric vehicles.
Find out what these new laws mean for you.
Home Energy
California recently passed new energy codes that will move homeowners and developers toward energy-efficient appliances and HVAC systems. The California Energy Commission says all new residential construction projects and some businesses, including motels, medical offices, retail and grocery stores, and restaurants, should be equipped with this technology.
The homes and facilities must now be electric-ready, which means they draw their power from renewable electricity instead of natural gas. If a developer wants to install a gas hookup, they will have to install the wiring for the home to switch to electric.
The codes also call for better ventilation for gas appliances that contribute to indoor air pollution.
Denise Grab, the manager of the Rocky Mountain Institute’s carbon-free building team, welcomed the news. “This is the first statewide building code across the country that strongly incentivizes all-electric construction,” she said. In fact, in the last code there were actually some disincentives to electrify. This is a big step forward.”
The energy codes are updated every three years. The 2018 codes require every new development to include rooftop solar panels, but this new mandate will take things even further.
“You avoid building out a whole bunch of new infrastructure that can become stranded assets,” she added, while noting that kids who grow up in homes with gas appliances are 42% more likely to suffer from asthma.
Perhaps the biggest change to the codes is that they now require the inclusion of heat pumps in all new developments. This will help establish heat pumps as the standard for HVAC, including heating water and space. These systems can also cool down homes by pulling air from the ground or outside the home inside.
Developers can either install heat pumps or traditional HVAC systems that contribute to climate change. However, if they choose the latter, they will have to use energy-efficient technology in other parts of the home to offset the difference and keep fossil fuel emissions within the accepted limit.
All-Electric Vehicles
Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed an executive order calling for all new passenger vehicles to be all-electric by the year 2035. The transportation sector is responsible for around half of the state’s carbon emissions and switching to electric-powered vehicles will help the state reduce its impact on the environment.
Once the rule is in effect, experts say it could result in a more than a 35 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and an 80 percent improvement in oxides of nitrogen emissions from cars statewide.
It’s likely that electric vehicles will be just as affordable, if not cheaper, than gas-powered vehicles. The order will also help build charging stations across the state to make these vehicles more accessible to the public.
“This is the most impactful step our state can take to fight climate change,” said Governor Newsom. “For too many decades, we have allowed cars to pollute the air that our children and families breathe. Californians shouldn’t have to worry if our cars are giving our kids asthma. Our cars shouldn’t make wildfires worse – and create more days filled with smoky air. Cars shouldn’t melt glaciers or raise sea levels threatening our cherished beaches and coastlines.”
If you are interested in going all-electric, contact the professionals at A-1 Guaranteed to learn more about the benefits of energy-efficient technology.
