About 90% of California’s furnaces and water heaters currently run on natural gas or propane, and these are significant sources of carbon emissions.
Most of these systems will have to be converted to high-efficiency heat pumps and solar thermal heating for the state to meet its ambitious decarbonized buildings goal. These technologies will have to be supported with more energy efficiency measures and batteries to store solar energy.
Renewable electricity won’t be enough to meet 2030 greenhouse gas reduction goals. Twenty-five percent of total emissions in California are from homes and buildings.
Two new programs aimed at reducing emissions from buildings will launch this year: Building Initiative for Low Emissions Development (BUILD), and Technology and Equipment for Clean Heating (TECH). The programs will test different approaches to decarbonizing buildings. The programs will receive $200 million over four years from natural gas utility carbon allowance proceeds derived from the state’s cap and trade program.
Related Stories
Codes and Standards | Apr 17, 2018
Contractor charged with fraud in winning $200 million in federal contracts
Accused of falsely claiming veteran- and minority-owned business status.
Codes and Standards | Apr 16, 2018
Wide variations in adoption of National Electric Code could jeopardize safety
An NFPA report found that code adoption is under heavier political scrutiny, leading to delays and decisions motivated by factors other than safety concerns.
Codes and Standards | Apr 12, 2018
Corruption in New York City construction industry is common
Scale of projects, number of players involved contributes to problem.
Codes and Standards | Apr 11, 2018
Urgent need for government to make communities, infrastructure more resilient
More than 350 people died from extreme weather events in 2017.
Codes and Standards | Apr 10, 2018
Boosting energy efficiency helps reduce health risks
Cleaner air results in fewer heart attacks, respiratory disease, and premature deaths.
Codes and Standards | Apr 9, 2018
U.K. business leaders call for zero-carbon buildings by 2030
Real estate, construction industry executives among those supporting the goal.
Codes and Standards | Apr 5, 2018
In Houston, proposed rules would require building above 500-year flood level
Change would impact 85,739 pieces of property.
Codes and Standards | Apr 4, 2018
New ASTM standard supports stucco use in construction
Provides way to measure tensile strength in vertical applications.
Codes and Standards | Apr 3, 2018
LEED v4.1 O+M for Existing Buildings available for beta testing
Update said to be most inclusive and transparent platform to date.
Codes and Standards | Apr 2, 2018
Experts chosen for ICC, ANCR buildings resilience benchmarks project
Specialists to focus on community preparedness for disasters.
