All new housing developments in California should be so energy-efficient by the year 2020 that they could produce all the power they need on their own, state regulators proposed Monday.
The California Public Utilities Commission suggested sweeping changes to the way the state deals with efficiency, the effort to squeeze the most use possible out of every electron and drop of fuel. The commission wants California’s electric utilities to collaborate on creating one grand plan for improving energy efficiency throughout the state, rather than pursuing their own separate programs the way they do today.
The commission’s most eye-catching proposal calls for radically increasing the efficiency of new buildings, even though the commission doesn’t regulate the housing industry.
New housing developments would need to be “zero net energy” by 2020. They would require far less power to run than existing homes, so little that each development could generate all the power it needed, either with solar panels, windmills or small generators.
New commercial buildings would have to meet the same standard by 2030.
Commissioner Dian Grueneich said the goals are ambitious but attainable.
“I wouldn’t have put this out there if I didn’t think it was possible,” she said. “A lot of the technology already exists.”
Zero net energy buildings could be useful weapons against global warming, since they would lessen the need for building large power plants that burn fossil fuels and spew greenhouse gases.
There is, however, a catch.
The utilities commission has no legal authority over the construction industry. Builders would therefore need to agree to those goals.
The California Energy Commission, a separate government panel, does have the power to set energy-efficiency standards for new buildings. But whether the energy commission could order such major changes is unclear. A spokeswoman for the energy commission could not be reached Monday.
Failing that, the California Legislature could enact legislation forcing builders to create zero net energy homes. But that wouldn’t be easy. The building industry typically resists such mandates. Three years ago, for example, the industry fought off legislation that would have required developers to install solar panels on a set proportion of new homes.
Grueneich said it’s premature to suggest legislation. Right now, she wants to talk with the building industry and gauge interest.
“We’ve got to try,” she said. “Global warming is, in my mind, the most important issue we have to deal with, and we have to do it now.”
A spokesman for the California Building Industry Association, which represents developers, said the group was still studying the proposal Monday afternoon.
California has a long and successful history of trying to improve its energy efficiency. While the average American’s energy use has increased by roughly 50 percent since 1970, the average Californian’s has remained flat.
And yet most energy experts say there’s still room for improvement.
“The goal of increasing energy efficiency is a very reasonable one,” said Severin Borenstein, director of the University of California Energy Institute.
He cautioned, however, that requiring zero net energy housing developments could be expensive, depending on how those developments get their power. The requirement also could pose environmental problems, since some kinds of small-scale electricity generation produce greenhouse gases.
“I wouldn’t want to see an increased emphasis on on-site generation unless it can be shown to be more cost-effective,” Borenstein said.
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