The California Building Standards Code or as it more formally known, Title 24 is a group of regulations that covers the construction of buildings in the state of California. There are 12 different sections to this regulation. These regulations were first put into place in 1978 and require that all California residents be in full Title 24 compliance of section 6, which covers energy efficiency.
Why Is Energy Efficiency So Important?
The reason Californians must be in full Title 24 Compliance with regard to energy efficiency is multi-fold. First and foremost, being more energy efficient helps to reduce energy costs. Secondly, compliance helps to ensure a higher level of reliability in the supply of electricity …show more content…
At the same time building with energy efficiency in mind helps to reduce the environmental impact that comes with generating power. Being in Title 24 compliance has had a dramatic effect on the type of lighting fixtures and many home appliances as well as how they are used.
Very Important Standards
While some may find that being in Title 24 compliance seems to do little more than add to the cost of a home, there is far more to it than this. In fact, building ever-increasingly energy efficient homes is considered key to the future of California. By reducing the amount of energy consumed in the state it helps to lower annual energy costs for homeowners, helps to boost and ensure the security of California's economy, and helps to protect the environment.
In order to be in full Title 24 compliance, all new homes and the remodeled sections of existing homes must have kitchens in which no less than 50% of the power consumed is done by high-efficacy lighting. This typically means that all light fixtures will be either CFL or LED. The regulations state that all light fixtures must be certified by the manufacturer as high-efficacy, they cannot be of the type that allows the use of low-efficacy lighting