On July 1, 2014, the 2013 California Building Energy Efficiency Standards (Title 24) will take effect. Title 24 will require all new commercial buildings to be net-zero energy by 2030.
Sefaira, a software company specializing in cloud-based computing for high-performance building design, itemized some ways Title 24 will have a ripple effect on buildings nationwide. According to Sefaira’s corporate blog some expected results from Title 24 include:
1. Driving adoption of building energy codes. California’s Title 24 will raise the bar for what’s possible in energy performance for buildings, not just in California, but across the US.
2. Speeding the development of building monitoring and management technologies. Title 24 in California will speed the development of technologies around management of peak energy loads, plug load controls, advanced lighting controls and demand response technology.
3. Accelerating on-site energy storage. California utilities are already leading the way with energy storage, but with Title 24, there is likely to be an upsurge in interest from buildings that want to participate in the technology.
4. Creating competition around energy performance. Architects, engineers and builders in California will likely want to incorporate energy modeling on every commercial project.