California Wind Turbine

The Assembly Natural Resources Committee in California is aggressively seeking a zero energy home bill that would require all new homes in California be zero energy by 2020. Under the proposed bill, zero energy new homes would help to decrease the state’s dependency on fossil fuels and natural resources.

The bill is designed to have new homes constructed with solar power or to be powered by nearby wind geothermal plant, which would allow each home’s electricity utility bill to essentially be eliminated. Advocates of the proposed bill suggest that the system could be set up similarly to a giant battery. The grid would store energy produced by homes throughout the day to power homes during the evening when energy use spikes.

Lori Saldana introduced the bill last year and while the Assembly passed the bill, it was later denied in the Senate. Saldana says that nearly one-quarter of greenhouse gas emissions is directly related to the cooling and heating of buildings. In the proposed bill, the greenhouse gas emissions would be substantially reduced.

Opponents argue that newly constructed homes are already energy efficient and that a better solution is to target existing homes, which have a more detrimental impact on fossil fuel use.

Estimated costs to upgrade an average home to a zero energy home could range between $15,000 to $50,000. Saldana is confident that this expense would not be entirely passed on to either the builder or the homeowner; but that federal tax credits, state rebates, and the decrease in energy use would ensure that the investment is a sound one.

California officials are leaders in pushing energy conservation and in reducing the carbon footprint that new construction leaves on the planet. If the bill does pass, it would undoubtedly be a great move towards saving our planet.

See more:

http://www.newhomessection.com/blog/zero-energy-homes-in-california-could-be-mandatory-by-2020/2009/04/12/

http://www.inhabitat.com/2007/11/07/zero-energy-homes-in-california-by-2020/

http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/7949