The City of Santa Monica is known for being one of the most forward-thinking jurisdictions in the country when it comes to sustainability. Its most recent step in this direction has been to expand upon their reach code with the new 2019 Energy Code cycle, anticipated to be active beginning in March 2020. Below are the top five changes to be aware of when designing buildings in Santa Monica.
- Projects are now required to have a Certified Energy Analyst (CEA) sign energy compliance reports. A CEA is an individual with a significant understanding of the California Building Energy Efficiency Standards (Title 24, Part 6) and energy efficiency issues, and helps project teams build and design more energy- and cost-efficient buildings.
- Solar is no longer a deferred permit. Projects will have to submit their solar plans and design as a part of the overall building package.
- Plan review is now 100% electronic in an effort to reduce paper and ink usage.
- Electric vehicle requirements are changing and will be in effect in April 2020 – see below:
- Single Family
- Must design as EV capable and install the breaker
- Multifamily
- 10% of total parking must have EV chargers installed
- 20% of total parking must be EV Ready (full-circuit, ready for charger)
- 70% must have raceway and conduit equipment
- Hotel/Motel and Nonresidential*
- 10% must have EV chargers installed
- 30% must have raceway and conduit equipment
- Offices*
- 10% of total parking must have EV chargers installed
- 20% of total parking must be EV Ready (full-circuit, ready for charger)
- 30% must have raceway and conduit equipment
*Installing one DC Fast Charger is considered equivalent to installing five Level-2 chargers
- Single Family
- Mixed-fuel buildings face more stringent requirements than all-electric buildings.
- Low-Rise Residential must meet the following:
- CALGreen Tier 1 which requires demonstrating an Energy Design Rating (EDR) of 10 or less,
- Perform Quality Insulation Installation (QII), and at least one of the following:
- Include either roof deck insulation, HERS DHW distribution + drain water heat recovery, or high performance walls.
- High-Rise Residential must demonstrate a 5% improvement beyond baseline and install 2 W/sf of solar photovoltaic.
- Non-residential buildings must demonstrate a 10% improvement beyond baseline and install 2 W/sf of solar photovoltaic.
- Low-Rise Residential must meet the following:
Navigating local jurisdiction reach codes can be a time-consuming challenge for project teams. VCA Green has a team of CALGreen and Energy Code specialists (in addition to CEAs), who can assist in removing the red tape and turning ever-changing code requirements into energy- and cost-saving opportunities. For more information on local reach codes or CALGreen and Energy Code consultation services, please contact Moe Fakih below.
Contributing Writer: Luca Costa, Assistant Project Manager
Moe Fakih, Principal
VCA Green
714-363-4700 x501