California Enacts New Building Efficiency Standards

California’s updated Title 24 building efficiency standards, approved by the California Energy Commission in late 2003 (see

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Vol. 13, No. 1), took effect on October 1, 2005. The strengthened standards include a range of changes for both residential and nonresidential buildings. Mandatory changes involve indoor and outdoor lighting and, for residences, checks for leaky ducts when new central furnaces or air conditioners are installed. It also mandates “time-dependent valuation” of energy for all buildings, favoring peak energy-saving measures over off-peak measures. A complete description of the changes is online at www.energy.ca.gov/title24/2005standards/.