California Energy Commission announced commercial and some multifamily residential buildings will need to have solar panels and battery storage starting from January 1, 2023.
According to Elektrek, this will apply to hotels, medical offices and clinics, schools, restaurants, theaters, and more.
“Homes and businesses use nearly 70% of California’s electricity and are responsible for a quarter of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions. Over the next 30 years, the 2022 Energy Code is estimated to provide $1.5 billion in consumer benefits and reduce 10 million metric tons of GHGs, equivalent to taking nearly 2.2 million cars off the road for a year. Expanded adoption of new energy-efficient technologies will help reduce costs of the technology over time.”
The goal is to get the buildings to stop using natural gas and instead use electric heat pumps for space and water heating and electric appliances. The Energy Commission also hopes to support electric car charging.
However, before this can go into effect, California’s Building Standards Commission has to approve. The approval is expected to happen in December, which will give the construction companies a year to prepare for the change.
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