How to Prepare for the CALGreen Updates

 

As demonstrated by the recent success of LA’s Better Building Challenge, California is committed to reducing the environmental footprint of its construction industry. The State’s Green Building Standards Code, better known as CALGreen, is currently being updated to further advance green building practices. The updated code goes into effect on January 1, 2014.   In 2011 it was estimated that a reduction of 3 million metric tons of greenhouse gases by 2020 could be achieved as a direct result of the requirements of CALGreen. It is hoped that with the new updates, which continue to push the envelope on green building mandates , California’s construction industry can take an even larger step toward meeting the State’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals.   My company Partner Energy has provided consulting services to over a dozen projects to comply with the CALGreen requirements. From working with developers, architects, building officials and inspectors, we have accumulated a wealth of expertise on the subject. Let’s take a closer look at the standards and how you can prepare for the updates:    So what is CALGreen? CALGreen was originally developed in 2008 as a voluntary compliance document. On January 1, 2011 the Green Building Standards code became mandatory for all buildings in the state of California. CALGreen is the nation’s first statewide green building code.  It established uniform minimum green building standards – some mandatory and some voluntary – aimed at reducing the environmental impact of residential, commercial, and public building construction practices.    Simply put, CALGreen establishes the ‘floor’ for minimum performance levels, while the ‘ceiling’ is set by other third party certification systems such as Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design ( LEED).    CALGreen applies throughout the full life of a building – from design to construction, operation and occupancy – and focuses on: