RECO/CECO – California Climate and Energy Collaborative

UCLA Blueprint: Los Angeles Energy Atlas and the New Proposed LA Existing Buildings Ordinance

May 20, 2016

benchmarking, best practices, buildings, codes and standards, energy data, energy efficiency, RECO/CECO, southern california, southern coast, stakeholder engagagement

The launch of the Los Angeles Energy Atlas was covered in the Fall 2015 edition of our CURRENTS newsletter. Get an update and learn from UCLA in Power Users: Learning to Waste Less how the Atlas has been used for the development of Los Angeles’s new (more…)

San Diego Climate Action Plan Signed

May 5, 2016

Sarina Soor

buildings, climate action plans, energy efficiency, RECO/CECO, renewables/DERs, southern california, southern coast

This week, the City of San Diego made its Climate Action Plan (CAP) legally binding in a powerful bipartisan agreement. The signing of the CAP is making headlines for its goal for (more…)

San Francisco Passes Solar Ordinance Requiring Solar on New Buildings Starting 2017

April 22, 2016

Sarina Soor

bay area, best practices, buildings, Local Governments in Action, northern california, reach codes, RECO/CECO, renewables/DERs, solar, weekly updates

Just in time for Earth Day, San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to put in place solar requirements for new construction: all new commercial and residential (more…)

Cool Roofs Code Support: Completed Cost-Effectiveness Study for All Climate Zones

April 15, 2016

Sarina Soor

building energy efficiency standards, building envelope, CEC, codes and standards, cool roofs, PG&E, reach codes, RECO/CECO, SCE, SCG, SDG&E

With the passage of the new 2016 Building Energy Efficiency Standards (BEES) last year, local governments will have the latter half of this calendar year to (more…)

From Outside the State: Seattle Passes New Building Energy Efficiency Ordinance

April 1, 2016

Sarina Soor

benchmarking, best practices, buildings, codes and standards, cost-effectiveness, energy data, energy efficiency, evaluation, measurement & verification, reach codes, RECO/CECO, retro-commissioning

The City of Seattle has passed energy efficiency-promoting in the three following areas: • Energy Use Disclosure — The Benchmarking Amendments ordinance updates Seattle’s existing building energy benchmarking law to include public transparency of building performance on energy use. • Retro-commissioning — The Building Tune-Ups ordinance phases in a requirement that commercial buildings 50,000 square feet or larger be “tuned-up” every…

Using Disclosure for Market Transformation: Berkeley’s new Building Energy Savings Ordinance (BESO) and the U.S. DOE Home Energy Score

March 29, 2016

Sarina Soor

AB 802, bay area, benchmarking, best practices, codes and standards, EE community programs, energy data, energy efficiency, Local Governments in Action, reach codes, RECO/CECO, Regional Energy Networks, weekly updates

In today’s Regional Forum held by the Bay Area Regional Energy Network (BayREN), StopWaste presented on how the City of Berkeley’s Residential Energy Conservation Ordinance (RECO) was updated to the new Building Energy Savings Ordinance, or “BESO,” why it was updated, and how the new BESO, or a version thereof, could be a gentle but…

Webinar: U.S. DOE Home Energy Score Overview and Best Practices from Implementers

February 27, 2016

Sarina Soor

benchmarking, energy data, RECO/CECO, residential, USDOE, webinars

Click below to watch a webinar from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) on the purpose and value of the Home Energy Score – and to also hear from people implementing the Score in local governments. Looking for examples of use in California? Check out an overview from Home Energy Score implementer StopWaste on how…

BayREN Report: Permitting Best Practices, Reach Code Case Study, Code Trainings, and More

February 17, 2016

Sarina Soor

bay area, best practices, building energy efficiency standards, codes and standards, compliance, energy efficiency, Local Governments in Action, northern california, reach codes, RECO/CECO, stakeholder engagement, Title 24, weekly updates

BayREN’s Codes and Standards’s new 2015 Annual Report is out, and has a wealth of information – including best practices for local governments – on reach code adoption, improving building energy efficiency standard compliance, energy-focused ordinances, and more. Check out case studies of stakeholder engagement for energy code development in Santa Clara, and support offered…

City of Piedmont Building Energy Savings Ordinance (BESO) Under Consideration

January 7, 2016

Sarina Soor

benchmarking, best practices, codes and standards, energy data, energy efficiency, Local Governments in Action, reach codes, RECO/CECO, residential

The City of Piedmont is considering adoption of a Building Energy Savings Ordinance (BESO) – or an ordinance that triggers the requirement of a residential energy assessment – as a customer-driven approach to achievement greenhouse gas reductions laid forth in its climate action plan. Piedmont’s consideration includes using the U.S. Department of Energy’s Home Energy Score as…

San Diego Adopts Climate Action Plan

January 3, 2016

Sarina Soor

best practices, buildings, CCA, climate action plans, climate change, EE municipal programs, energy efficiency, Local Governments in Action, RECO/CECO, renewables/DERs, southern california, southern coast, transportation, water energy nexus

The City of San Diego adopted its new climate action plan last month. San Diego lists five bold strategies to reduce GHG emissions and achieve its 2020 and 2035 targets: Energy and Water Efficient Buildings Clean and Renewable Energy Biking, Walking, Transit and Land Use Zero Waste (Gas and Waste Management) Climate Resiliency San Diego…

City of Lomita New Energy Efficiency Climate Action Plan Shows GHG Emissions Decrease

December 21, 2015

Sarina Soor

best practices, buildings, demand response, energy data, energy efficiency, local government partnership, Local Governments in Action, permitting, RECO/CECO, residential, SCE, SCG, southern california, southern coast, water energy nexus

The City of Lomita’s new Energy Efficiency Climate Action Plan (EECAP) includes a greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory update that reveals a 7% decrease in energy use between 2005 and 2012. In the Plan, the City reviews its energy profile on the municipal and the community level, and proposes a number of strategies to keep energy…

CSE Report: Energy Benchmarking and Transparency Best Practices and Case Studies

December 7, 2015

Sarina Soor

AB 758, AB 802, bay area, benchmarking, best practices, codes and standards, energy data, energy efficiency, Local Governments in Action, northern california, publications, reach codes, RECO/CECO, southern california, southern coast

Prepared for the Port of San Diego, the Center for Sustainable Energy (CSE) has released a report, Energy Benchmarking and Transparency: A review of national best practices, California policies and energy efficiency opportunities for the San Diego Unified Port District. The report reviews state benchmarking policies (set and in the process of being set under AB 758…

From Outside the State: A Colorado BESO Case Study

November 7, 2015

Sarina Soor

benchmarking, best practices, buildings, codes and standards, cost-effectiveness, energy data, energy efficiency, financing, green building, incentives, lighting, Local Governments in Action, PACE, reach codes, RECO/CECO, retro-commissioning

In October 2015, the City of Boulder, Colorado adopted a new ordinance that modified existing voluntary programming to require that certain types of commercial, industrial, and City buildings conduct energy assessments, disclose building energy use, and take action if cost-effective energy upgrades were found through the assessments. Specifically, qualifying buildings will be required to do…

New Study: San Francisco’s Benchmarking Ordinance Requiring Commercial Buildings to Disclose Energy Data Shows Major Reduction in Energy Use and an Opportunity to Save Millions in Energy Costs

October 6, 2015

Sarina Soor

bay area, benchmarking, best practices, buildings, cost-effectiveness, energy data, energy efficiency, evaluation, green building, Local Governments in Action, measurement & verification, northern california, publications, RECO/CECO, stakeholder engagement

A report on the City and County of San Francisco’s Existing Commercial Buildings Energy Performance Ordinance (ECBO) reviewed the ordinance compliance, energy use by building, and savings that could be attributed from 2010-2014. The report’s findings, which include a (more…)

ACEEE Toolkit: Residential Energy Use Disclosure Guide For Policymakers

November 29, 2014

Sarina Soor

ACEEE, benchmarking, best practices, codes and standards, EE community programs, energy data, publications, reach codes, RECO/CECO, residential, stakeholder engagement

A growing number of local and state governments are adopting policies requiring residential energy rating and/or disclosure, the practice of evaluating the energy efficiency of a home or building and making the information known to consumers. The option helps policymakers to enable energy reduction goals for buildings, and to increase transparency and consumer information around…