California Adopts Nation's First Mandatory Green Building Standard

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recently announced that the California Building Standards Commission has adopted the nation’s first mandatory Green Building Standards Code: CALGreen.

The program, which takes effect on January 1, 2011, will require all new buildings in the state to be more energy efficient and environmentally responsible.

“With this first-in-the nation mandatory green building standards code, California continues to pave the way in energy efficiency and environmental protection. Today’s action lays the foundation for the move to greener buildings constructed with environmentally advanced building practices that decrease waste, reduce energy use and conserve resources,” said Governor Schwarzenegger. “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.”

CALGreen will require mandatory inspections of energy systems (such as furnaces, heat pumps, air conditioners, and other mechanical equipment) for nonresidential buildings with more than 10,000 square feet of floor space to ensure that the energy systems are working at their maximum capacity and according to their design efficiencies. It also requires that every new building constructed in California reduce water consumption by 20%, divert 50% of construction waste from landfills, and install materials that emit low amounts of indoor pollutants.

In addition, separate water meters are required for nonresidential buildings' indoor and outdoor water use, with a requirement for moisture-sensing irrigation systems for larger landscape projects. While water conservation is itself a priority in the state, water consumption is directly tied to energy consumption. A 2005 report from the California Energy Commission (CEC) found that water use consumes 19% of the state's electricity, 30% of its natural gas, and at least 88 billion gallons of diesel fuel per year (including water heating).

The California Air Resources Board estimates that the mandatory provisions will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of 3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2020.  After passing a state building inspection, California's property owners will be permitted to label their facilities as “CALGreen compliant” without using additional third-party certification programs.

“We are committed to seeing the Governor’s vision for developing a green framework in California become a reality,” said California State and Consumer Services Agency Acting Secretary Tom Sheehy. “This new standard will set a nationwide example of how to incorporate building smart, resource-efficient and environmentally-responsible buildings into the everyday fabric of our state.”

In 2007, Governor Schwarzenegger directed the California Building Standards Commission (BSC) to work with other state agencies on the adoption of green building standards for residential, commercial, and public building construction for the 2010 code adoption process. The mandatory code provisions will now become the baseline of regulated green construction practices in the country’s most populous state. The BSC, which developed this initial Green Building Standards Code through extensive discussions with environmentalists, architects, builders, local officials and others, will continue to improve this new code.

In addition to the mandatory regulations, CALGreen also includes more stringent voluntary provisions that encourage local communities to take further action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve energy efficiency and conserve natural resources.

Like California’s existing building code provisions, the mandatory CALGreen provisions will be inspected and verified by local and state building departments. CALGreen will use the long-standing enforcement infrastructure that the state has established to ensure compliance with its health, safety, fire, energy and structural building codes. Many of the mandatory provisions in the code are already part of the statewide building code, making verification of CALGreen an easy transition for local building inspectors.