NORESCO, a part of Carrier Global Corporation, has been awarded a three-year contract to help the California Energy Commission (CEC) develop and adopt the state's building energy code for 2025. California's Building Energy Efficiency Standards are updated every three years to guide the construction of new and existing buildings toward the state's clean energy goals. NORESCO has worked with the CEC to advance one of the nation's most efficient building energy standards, Title 24, Part 6 of the California Code of Regulations, for more than 15 years.
The upcoming code cycle will enable the CEC to drive continued progress toward the goals in California's Integrated Energy Policy Report (IEPR). The 2021 IEPR recommends the acceleration of building decarbonization and the installation of 6 million heat pumps by 2030. California's building energy code will play a key role in achieving these objectives, and the NORESCO team will support the CEC in developing and implementing strategies to meet these goals in both new construction and alterations.
NORESCO will also help develop energy accounting methodologies for the 2025 cycle, including development of prototype building models, weather files, metrics and life-cycle cost methodology. The team will review national model codes, assess new measures and code structure ideas, and support the research and development of new code requirements.
The new contract builds on NORESCO's prior work with CEC, which in the 2022 code cycle included the development of the photovoltaics (PV) and battery requirements, as well as the single-zone heat pump requirements for nonresidential buildings. The 2022 Energy Code also stipulated electric-ready requirements for new homes, strengthened ventilation standards and made California the first state in the U.S. to require solar PV and battery storage in new nonresidential buildings.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is calling for the state to reach its sustainability goals more quickly by setting new targets for renewable energy, carbon removal, and clean fuels for transportation.
The governor sent a letter to the chair of the California Air Resources Board (CARB) saying the 2022 Climate Change Scoping Plan needs to provide a clear path to achieve carbon neutrality in the state by 2045. Newsom says the final plan should incorporate new efforts to advance offshore wind, building energy efficiency, and address methane leaks, among other tasks.
Newsom also says he will work with the state legislature to put carbon neutrality into state law. Additionally, he says he is working to finalize a nearly $54 billion climate commitment.
