California Sets the Stage for Net-Zero Energy Home Building

Zero energy building has picked up steam in conversations across the world for commercial use, but California has plans to make it a household word. What’s going on out West? Climate change is increasingly becoming a concern. In tandem with the recent Paris climate agreement being signed, energy efficiency has been thrust into the spotlight. Appliances can no longer burn through a vast amount of resources – every little bit of energy consumption contributes to global carbon emissions. According to Sustainable Business, California has altered “Title 24,”, which now calls for a further reduction of energy consumption by 27 percent in 2017. This update has also brought on new requirements that every new home in the state must have installed moving forward. These include:

More insulation in building envelope
Energy-efficient light bulbs
Tankless water heaters

Californians have saved $30 billion due to compliance with Title 24. Residents who make a few simple changes to their home’s infrastructure can reap the rewards that come with them. One of the easiest happens to be a tankless water heater, which begins saving homeowners money almost immediately after installation.

California is requiring all new homes install a tankless water heater.

Why tankless water heaters? The goal of Title 24 is to improve how much energy is kept inside the home once it gets there, and also weed out any areas where it could be misused. Storage water heaters heat water passively, which can lead to standby heat loss. If the water sits there unused over time, it begins to lose its heat and therefore requires more resources to warm up again. California quickly realized this was an inefficient way of heating water. Why use more energy than is necessary? Tankless water heaters heat the water on-demand, making them a perfect substitution. In fact, tankless water heaters help homeowners shave $100 off of their yearly water heating bill at the minimum, according to the Department of Energy. Integrating this appliance with solar energy panels could drive even higher savings. When it comes down to it, net-zero energy home building largely leans on energy efficient appliances to maintain minimal resource loss. Tankless water heaters are so valuable because they can be paired with renewable resources to cut down the amount of wasted energy attributable to the grid. This small change has a large impact when installed in unison, and this sweeping reform of appliances may find its way into other states around the country as well.

“Energy efficiency helps curb carbon emissions.”

Energy efficiency moving forward It’s no secret that governments are placing high importance on energy efficient alternatives like tankless water heaters. They have a large impact at the base level of how carbon emissions are released. EcoWatch reported that if climate change isn’t curbed, sea levels will rise between 2.5 and 6.5 feet by 2100. This could be detrimental for some low-lying countries like the Maldives, which are just above sea level. Tankless water heaters also have cursory benefits that make them intriguing purchases for homeowners without an obligation to reduce carbon emissions. They can be used in conjunction with storage water heaters as well at the point-of-use to help a system on its last legs work well for another couple of years, or provide relief to a large infrastructure stressed by usage. Of course, there’s also the monetary benefit of saving money long term on one of the most expensive bills in the home. Expect to see bills like “Title 24,” receive more updates as climate change takes center stage in worldwide conversations. Tankless water heaters are the first step in helping a household reduce its carbon emissions and ultimately usher in a new wave of net-zero energy buildings.

California Sets the Stage for Net-Zero Energy Home Building

California Sets the Stage for Net-Zero Energy Home Building

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