California is on the brink of making solar standard on every new home built in the state. The California Energy Commission is set to vote on Wednesday on new energy standards that would require most new homes to have solar panels installed starting in 2020.
If approved, solar installations will skyrocket in the state. Currently, just 15 to 20 percent of new single-family homes have solar facilities, Bob Raymer, technical director for the California Building Industry Association, told
The Mercury News.
“California is about to take a quantum leap in energy standards,” Raymer says. “No other state in the nation mandates solar, and we are about to take that leap.”
A few cities have already made solar standard. For example, San Francisco and Fremont have mandated that solar panel systems be included in all new single-family and multifamily homes. Also in late 2016, Fremont mandated new residential and commercial developments to be “EV ready,” which requires most new single-family homes to have a large specialized outlet and a dedicated circuit in the garage so a resident could plug in an electric vehicle charger, Rachel DiFranco, the city’s sustainability manager, told The Mercury News.
If approved on Wednesday, the new California solar mandate would encompass all homes, condos, and apartment buildings up to three stories that obtain permits after Jan. 1, 2020. Exceptions would be allowed for homes that are shaded by trees or buildings or whose roofs are too small to accommodate solar panels.
The solar mandate will increase building costs. Solar installations can cost about $14,000 to $16,000. With additional state mandates of increased insulation, more efficient windows, appliances, and more, the amount could jump another $10,000 to $15,000. However, the $25,000 to $30,000 extra for the building additions could potentially reduce an owner’s operating costs by $50,000 to $60,000 over the 25-year life of the home’s solar system, says C.R. Herro, Meritage Homes’ vice president of environmental affairs.
Source: “California to Become First U.S. State Mandating Solar on New Homes,” The Mercury News (May 4, 2018)
