California’s new building standards are leading the way for stricter energy efficiency requirements and more-straightforward accessibility guidelines.

We are excited to see that the State of California is rationalizing conflicting state and federal accessibility regulations and raising the bar on energy efficiency and setting an aggressive target of zero net energy for new homes by 2020.

In January, the California Building Standards Commission approved the 2013 Building Standards Code which is planned to go into effect in 2014.Eliminating conflicts between state and federal accessibility regulations and clarifying requirements is a win-win for everyone. Confusion has only lead to legal battles and frustrations by designers, business owners and the public.

California’s greater energy efficiency for new homes will ensure that new homes are comfortable and require less energy. We hope that other jurisdictions are inspired to reevaluate their regulations and consider doing the same as it makes sense for them.

To learn more, see Alison Rice’s February 1, 2013, article in BUILDER magazine.  http://www.builderonline.com/codes-and-standards/california-adopts-new-building-standards.aspx?utm_source=newsletter&utm_content=jump&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=BBU_020413&day=2013-02-04