Energy Commissioner Discusses The Future of Clean Energy At Symposium
The way buildings are built and the energy they use has been a topic of discussion in California for more than 40 years. Every three years, the California Energy Commission updates the energy standards for the building code, ensuring that homes, offices, hotels and other buildings are saving energy and money while maintaining a comfortable environment.
A symposium about zero net energy homes was held earlier this month at Fresno State University, which brought together students, homebuilders, real estate agents, urban planners and government officials.
“To reach California’s ambitious climate and energy goals, we must push past status quo thinking to get the most out of each construction investment,” said Energy Commissioner Andrew McAllister. “This extends to not only residential construction, but also commercial construction and renovation of state buildings. To get the high level of performance we need from our buildings, each project must apply the most up-to-date clean technologies and practices, taking care to achieve long-lasting, quality installation.”
McAllister talked about the future for clean energy in California and the significance of zero net energy education. McAllister provided a history of the state’s clean energy goals, how the new building codes provide a roadmap to achieve them, and the resources available to builders to help them achieve these new mandates.
Brandon De Young with De Young Properties addressed the challenges of building zero net energy homes and the reasons why homebuilders should start them now.
“California is truly setting the standard for clean energy and the collaboration between state regulation entities, public utilities, the homebuilding industry, educational institutions and technology companies is the synergy needed to meet these requirements and continue to serve the public and our communities in the best, most efficient way possible,” said De Young.
A zero net energy home must be exceptionally energy efficient and designed with the potential to produce–through renewable energy sources–as much clean energy as it consumes in a year.
The Energy Commission promotes energy efficiency to save consumers energy and money while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Replay portions of the live broadcast from the symposium on the DeYoung Properties Facebook page.
Pictured in photo (left to right) from inside the De Young SmartHome Experience Center: Chelsea Petrenko, managing consultant, Opinion Dynamics; Garth Torvestad, senior technical consultant, ConSol; Commissioner Andrew McAllister, California Energy Commission; Brandon De Young, executive vice president, De Young Properties; Tom Harvey, senior manager at Tesla Energy.
Photo courtesy of De Young Properties.
