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A Calif. City Is First to Require Zero-Net Energy

Daily Real Estate News | Wednesday, November 02, 2016

Santa Monica, Calif., is the first city in the world to make it a requirement that all new single-family construction in the city meet zero-net energy standards. The ZNE standard means that projects must generate enough of their own energy from renewable sources to equal what they take from the power utility over a year.
The Santa Monica City Council voted last week to approve the ordinance requiring ZNE on all new-home construction. It must now be approved by the California Energy Commission before it becomes final.
“Santa Monica is proud to take a global lead in zero net energy building standards that put the state’s environmental policy to action,” says Mayor Tony Vazquez. “ZNE construction, considered the gold standard for green buildings, is a major component that will help us reach our ambitious goal of carbon neutrality by 2050.”
The California Public Utilities Commission in 2008 adopted what is essentially a roadmap for all California buildings to become ZNE. It has set 2020 as the year by which all new residential construction must achieve ZNE. All new commercial construction must meet ZNE standards by 2030. Santa Monica is the first city in California to adopt a ZNE ordinance to move toward that goal.
The Santa Monica ordinance also requires nonresidential construction to use 10 percent less energy than required by the 2016 California Energy Code.
Source: “Santa Monica Approves World’s First Net Zero Building Requirement,” BUILDER (Nov. 1, 2016)

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