The California Energy Code (also titled Building Energy Efficiency Standards for Residential and Nonresidential Buildings), called simply Title 24 in industry, is the sixth section of the California Building Standards Code. The code was created by the California Building Standards Commission in 1978 in response to a legislative mandate to reduce California's

energy consumption Energy consumption is the amount of energy used. Biology In the body, energy consumption is part of energy homeostasis. It derived from food energy. Energy consumption in the body is a product of the basal metabolic rate and the physical acti ...

. These standards are updated periodically by the

California Energy Commission The California Energy Commission, formally the Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission, is the primary energy policy and energy planning, planning Government agency, agency for California. Created in 1974 and headquartered in S ...

. The code includes

energy conservation Energy conservation is the effort to reduce wasteful energy consumption by using fewer energy services. This can be done by using energy more effectively (using less and better sources of energy for continuous service) or changing one's behavi ...

standards applicable to most buildings throughout California. The code's purpose is to advance the state's energy policy, develop renewable energy sources and prepare for energy emergencies. A 2020 study found that the 1978 energy code successfully reduced energy consumption, and that the implementation of the policy passed a cost-benefit test.

History

California was the first state to implement minimum energy efficiency standards in 1974. It was the first to establish an energy regulation commission – the California Energy Commission. These regulations and codes have been in effect since 1974. California has the lowest per capita energy consumption in the US.

Structure

The three general parts, which include all the responsibilities and criteria of the standards, are: * Mandatory requirements * Performance standards * Prescriptive standards All buildings must follow the mandatory requirements. Performance standards vary by the building location and type. These parts are designed to accomplish the following: * Forecast future energy need * Support energy and technology research * Develop renewable energy resources * Develop renewable transportation fuels and technologies

Climate zones

Standards vary based on climate zone. California is divided into 16 zones: #

Arcata Arcata (; ; ) is a city adjacent to the Arcata Bay (northern) portion of Humboldt Bay in Humboldt County, California, United States. At the 2020 census, Arcata's population was 18,857. Arcata was first founded in 1850 as Union, was officially ...

# Santa Rosa #

Oakland Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major West Coast port, Oakland is ...

# San Jose # Santa Maria # Torrance #

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

# Fullerton #

Burbank Burbank may refer to: Places Australia * Burbank, Queensland, a suburb in Brisbane United States * Burbank, California, a city in Los Angeles County * Burbank, Santa Clara County, California, a census-designated place * Burbank, Illinois, ...

# Riverside # Red Bluff #

Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...

Fresno Fresno (; ) is a city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County, California, Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley (California), Central Valley region. It covers a ...

# Palmdale #

Palm Springs Palm Springs (Cahuilla language, Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Rivers ...

# Blue Canyon

2019 Code

The 2019 California Energy Code became effective on January 1, 2020. It focuses on such areas such as residential

photovoltaic system A photovoltaic system, also called a PV system or solar power system, is an electric power system designed to supply usable solar power by means of photovoltaics. It consists of an arrangement of several components, including solar panels to abso ...

s, thermal envelope standards and non-residential lighting requirements. Homes built under this code are about 53% more energy efficient than those built to comply with the 2016 Energy Code. This code provides a market for "smart" technologies. The 2019 Code added photovoltaic system requirements for

low-rise A low-rise is a building that is only a few stories tall or any building that is shorter than a high-rise, though others include the classification of mid-rise. Definition Emporis defines a low-rise as "an enclosed structure below 35 metres 15 ...

residential buildings. Exceptions grant a reduction in size for photovoltaic systems.

References

External links