Cali Goes Solar
California, being the environmentally progressive state that it is, has approved a new set of building guidelines making it mandatory for all newly built houses to have roofs that are solar-ready roofs. These new construction standards not only encourage positive environmental changes, but also made stricter guidelines for window and housing insulation for the same environmentally conscious reasons, pushing new housing in California to turn over a greener leaf.
For clarity’s sake, no, not all new houses are required to don solar panels (although, that doesn’t seem like an awful idea), but to be ready for solar panel installation, should the owner decide to go down this path. To be fair, though this is not directly forcing positive environmental change down residents’ throats, this is a very big step in the right direction, not only for California, but for the rest of the world, in terms of energy efficiency and sustainability. What are your thoughts on this new construction guideline? Should more encouraged modifications be made to the housing industry, auto industry, any industry? Share your thoughts with us on Twitter.
photo courtesy of Richard Masoner