California makes compulsory solar panels on new homes

Great achievement in the Us state of California, where solar panels will be compulsory in new homes and low-rise apartment buildings by 2020. The mandate is an important step in fighting greenhouse gas emissions. Robert Raymer, technical director for the California Building Industry Association, said that «adoption of these standards represents a quantum leap in statewide building standards, you can bet every other of the 49 states will be watching closely to see what happens».

According to the commission that approved this rule, construction costs for a single-family home will rise by $10,000. Families will have back that money in energy savings. California has a leading role in clean energy. Indeed, many other rules promote electric vehicles and a decrease in residential and commercial buildings’ emissions. 

Also David Hochschild, from the energy commission, welcomed the decision: «This is a very bold and visionary step that we’re taking». There’s still work to be done by the state’s building standards commission that updates building codes, including energy standards, every three years. 

Everybody from construction groups, public utilities and solar manufacturers embraces the decision with satisfaction, since they have helped themselves the commission to develop the rule. Only Republican legislative leaders complained about the costs’ rise in building house, saying that Californians can’t afford it. According to Brian Dahle, the chamber’s Republican leader, «that’s just going to drive the cost up and make California, once again, not affordable to live». 

Good regards came also from Kelly Knutsen, the director of technology advancement for the California Solar and Storage Association, that claimed: «This is going to be an important step forward for our state to continue to lead the clean energy economy».