Its provisions are currently voluntary for most "occupancies", but will become mandatory for all types of buildings beginning January 1, 2011. The California Building Standards Commission is the oversight agency for this code which addresses energy and water conservation, as well as construction waste, and materials for healthier indoor air.
Some of the more prominent water-related requirements are:
- 20% mandatory reduction in indoor water use, with voluntary goal standards for 30, 35 and 40 percent reductions;
- water meters for nonresidential buildings' indoor and outdoor water use, with a requirement for moisture-sensing irrigation systems for larger landscape projects.
In addition to these requirements, two tiers of higher criteria are set out that are optional for localized adoption. Some judge these standards to potentially conflict with or be ineffectively low in comparison to independent rating systems such as LEED or GreenPoint Rated. Others fear that they may undermine the regulations already adopted by certain California cities, despite the fact that cities can enact more stringent requirements.
CALGREEN was developed by the State and International Code Commission and will be administered and enforced directly by local building departments, whereas the other Rating Systems rely on voluntary participation for status and verification by an independent network of certified inspectors. It remains to be seen how this will affect the green building programs already in place in cities across California and how the rating organizations themselves will fare in the future in this state.
Overall, it is undoubtedly a step in the right direction to have one statewide baseline for water- and energy-efficient construction practices. Interestingly, the International Code Commission, one of several bodies that drafts model codes, is using the California Green Building Code as the basis for an ICC green code to be published in 2010.