flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

New solar-ready mandate affects commercial and residential buildings in St. Louis

Codes and Standards

New solar-ready mandate affects commercial and residential buildings in St. Louis

All new buildings must have reserved rooftop sections for PVs.


By Peter Fabris, Contributing Editor | January 16, 2020

Courtesy Pixabay

St. Louis recently passed a new law requiring all new buildings to be made solar-ready.

All new structures—commercial and residential—must reserve rooftop sections for solar panels to be easily installed. The ordinance does not mandate that rooftop solar be installed.

The solar-ready zone must be at least 40% of the roof area. It can be one contiguous area or multiple smaller sub-zone areas that are no less than five feet in width at their narrowest point. The solar-ready area cannot be obstructed by pipes, vents, HVAC equipment, or other shadow-casting elements.

Construction documents must outline pathways for routing of piping from the solar-ready zone to the building’s electrical service panel or service hot water system. The electrical panel must also have reserved space for a dual-pole circuit breaker to support future solar installations.

New buildings that have permanently-installed onsite generation systems already, buildings whose solar-ready zones would be shaded from sunlight for more than 70% of the day, and buildings where a licensed design professional has deemed that the solar radiation available to the building is not suitable to a solar-ready zone or because the area requirement cannot be met due to extensive rooftop obstructions, may be exempt.

Related Stories

| Oct 18, 2012

Princeton, N.J. residents upset over proposal to exempt colleges from land use laws

Princeton, N.J. residents criticized proposed legislation that would exempt private colleges and universities from following local land use laws for construction projects.

| Oct 18, 2012

Utah contracting firm challenges state immigration law

Universal Contracting LLC of American Fork, Utah, has filed suit challenging the constitutionality of Utah’s 2011 immigration law.

| Oct 18, 2012

More than 65,000 construction, design jobs may be cut if sequestration takes place

About $2 billion worth of construction and design projects would be eliminated if scheduled federal budget cuts, referred to as sequestration, take effect on Jan. 2, 2013.

| Oct 18, 2012

OSHA investigating parking garage collapse that kills four at Doral, Fla. college

OSHA is investigating the collapse of a five-story concrete parking garage under construction at Miami Dade College West Campus in Doral, Fla. that killed four workers and injured several others.

| Oct 18, 2012

EPA commercial building lead paint rule pushed back to 2015

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's inclusion of commercial buildings in a residential lead paint rule is being delayed until 2015.

| Oct 18, 2012

Chicago pushing green roofs to reduce heat island effect

The city of Chicago has mandated that all new buildings that require any public funds must be LEED certified, usually with a green roof.

| Oct 11, 2012

OSHA launches pilot program for alternative dispute resolution on whistleblower complaints

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is launching an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) pilot program for complaints filed with OSHA's Whistleblower Protection Program.

| Oct 11, 2012

Bill promotes investment in commercial, multifamily retrofits

The Commercial Building Modernization Act recently introduced in the Senate would extend and streamline a current tax deduction to encourage commercial and multifamily residential building owners to perform comprehensive energy-efficient retrofits.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021