From the National Association of Realtors Green Designation, of which Green Irene LLC is a Founding Sponsor. This impacts new non-residential buildings in California:
Green Building Gets a Boost With CALGREEN
The green building movement just got a big boost. The state of California was the first state to mandate green building standards when the California Building Standards Commission unanimously adopted the Green Building Standards Code (CALGREEN) last month.
When CALGREEN takes effect on January 1, 2011, all new nonresidential buildings over 10,000 square feet will need to adhere to the code. Its goal is reducing green house gas emissions, energy consumption and water use.
“This is a major step for the green industry,” comments Al Medina, director of NAR’s Green Designation. “Before, green mandates were left up to municipalities. I wouldn’t be surprised if other states start following California’s lead.”
Of CALGREEN, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said, “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.”
CALGREEN will require new buildings constructed in California to:
- Reduce water consumption by 20 percent
- Divert 50 percent of construction waste from landfills
- Install low pollutant-emitting materials
- Include separate water meters for nonresidential buildings’ indoor and outdoor water use, with a requirement for moisture-sensing irrigation systems for larger landscape projects
- Get mandatory inspections of energy systems (e.g., heat furnace, air conditioner and mechanical equipment) for nonresidential buildings over 10,000 square feet to ensure that all are working at their maximum capacity and according to their design efficiencies.
Once a building passes the state building inspection, its owner will be able to label the building compliant with CALGREEN.
CALGREEN likely will spur advances in building products. “California is a hotbed of innovation. With the mandate, there’s a lot of opportunity for small manufacturers with innovative products,” he says. Moreover, builders likely will be seeking out such companies and manufacturers because they’ll need products and materials to meet the CALGREEN standards for projects.
“Before, a new start-up would have to claw its way to get in front of builders. They have opportunity, in the next couple years, for builders to find them,” adds Medina. Moreover, he notes that opportunity exists for California specialists, such as real estate professionals, builders and developers, to become expert in CALGREEN and become the go-to person for consumers and building end-users and be the one to explain CALGREEN and its effects on them and their businesses.
And in the long term, CALGREEN has the potential to improve all buildings, not just new ones. “There will be a stark difference between new and old buildings in terms of energy efficiency and comfort,” he observes. He anticipates a time when the gap between new and old will be so wide that older buildings will be forced to upgrade to remain competitive in the market.
