The California Energy Commission has released a long-awaited report outlining the agencies action plan to bring energy efficiency to existing building stock.  Governor Brown recently cited the need to significantly increase energy efficiency in existing buildings as one of three energy-related policy priorities.

The Existing Buildings Energy Efficiency Action Plan provides a 10-year roadmap to activate market forces and transform California's existing residential, commercial, and public building stock into high performing and energy efficient buildings. The results of this effort will be accelerated growth of energy efficiency markets, more effective targeting and delivery of building upgrade services, improved quality of occupant and investor decisions, and vastly improved performance of California's buildings in service of those who own and occupy them.

The plan provides a comprehensive framework centered on five goals, each with an objective and a series of strategies to achieve it. Each strategy includes industry and/or government implementation partners.

The plan begins with strategies to enhance government leadership in energy and water efficiency. Public buildings leading by example, a new statewide large commercial benchmarking and disclosure program, local government innovations, and better energy codes for existing buildings are examples of these leadership strategies. The Plan then focuses on enabling improved decision-making, high quality building upgrades, and increased financing options through access to reliable and actionable information. Easy, regular access to energy use data for building owners and their agents is a key tenet of this plan. Making efficiency project costs and savings information available to all market actors is another principal strategy. This roadmap articulates strategies to help consumers recognize the benefits and value of efficiency, supported by strategies that ensure the real estate and financial industries incorporate energy efficiency into property valuations. The Plan also proposes strategies to ready the workforce to deliver high quality efficiency solutions on a larger scale.

The Plan will be implemented by building sector-single family, multifamily, small, medium and large commercial and public buildings-with priority activities identified for each sector.

CEC Commissioner Andrew McAllister said this about AB758 and energy efficiency: "California's commitment to energy efficiency is unwavering. Our vision is of a land served by buildings that provide pleasant, comfortable and functional spaces without wasting energy. Innovation must reach each area of building energy services, preferably in an integrated fashion: lighting; shell; and heating, ventilating, and air conditioning technologies; plug loads; grid-responsiveness to both critical events and rate signals. Success will require muscular policy measures, implemented smartly and consistently. Working together, I am certain that we can develop a clear path forward to our collective low-carbon vision." Commissioner McAllister visited our Zero Net Energy Center last year, expressing an interest in returning with others in light of California's goals. View the full report.