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What is Title 24, Part 6 of the California Code of Regulations?
California's Energy Efficiency Standards for Residential and Non-residential buildings were established in 1978.  Periodically they are updated to reflect changes in baseline construction practices and meet California's aggressive energy goals.  As of January 1, 2010 the most recent 2008 standars have been adopted. Publications of the standards are available on the California Energy Commission's webpage (http://www.energy.ca.gov/title24/).

California has initiated a number of ambitious goals to reduce the state's energy consumption and is a leader in energy policy both in the U.S. and worldwide. On average 40% of total primary energy use in California is attributed to buildings (http://buildingsdatabook.eren.doe.gov/TableView.aspx?table=1.1.3). Aggressive demand reduction and moving towards a renewable electricity grid are essential steps to achieve California's goals and support a sustainable future.

Why California Needs Energy Efficiency Standards
From the California Energy Commission's 2008 Building Efficiency Standards Residential Compliance Manual

Because energy efficiency reduces energy costs, increases reliability and availability of electricity, improves building occupant comfort, and reduces impacts to the environment, standards are important and necessary for California’s energy future.

Energy Savings
Reducing energy use is a benefit to all. Homeowners save money, Californians have a more secure and healthy economy, the environment is less negatively impacted, and our electrical system can operate in a more stable state. The 2008 Standards (for residential and nonresidential buildings) are expected to reduce the growth in electricity use by 561 gigawatt-hours per year (GWh/yr) and reduce the growth in gas use by 19.0 million therms per year (therms/yr). The savings, attributable to new low-rise residences, are 102.2 GWh/yr of electricity savings and 7.4 million therms. These savings are cumulative, resulting in six times the annual savings over the three years to the next standard cycle.

Electricity Reliability and Demand
Buildings are one of the major contributors to electricity demand. We learned during the 2000/2001 California energy crisis, and the east coast blackout in the summer of 2003, that our electric distribution network is fragile and system overloads caused by excessive demand from buildings can create unstable conditions. Resulting blackouts can seriously disrupt business and cost the economy billions of dollars.
Since the California electricity crisis, the Energy Commission has placed more and more emphasis on demand reductions. The 2008 Standards are expected to reduce electric demand by 131.8 MW each year and 36.6 MW are attributable to low-rise residential buildings. Like energy savings, demand savings accumulate each year.

Comfort
Comfort is an important benefit of energy efficient homes. Energy efficient houses are well insulated, less drafty, and use high performance windows and/or shading to reduce solar gains and heat loss. Poorly designed building envelopes result in houses that are less comfortable. Even with oversized heating and cooling systems, comfort cannot be achieved in older, poorly insulated and leaky homes. The Standards provide a compliance credit for properly sizing the air conditioner. This improves comfort through an even source of cooling, as opposed to an oversized air conditioner that runs for a short period of time, cools off the house and then sits idle for an extended period of time. Provided that the duct system has been properly designed and installed and has minimal leaks, a smaller air conditioner that runs for a more extended period does a better job of reducing humidity in a house; may use less energy; and creates less stress on the electrical distribution system than an oversized system.

Economics
For the homeowner, energy efficiency helps to ensure that a home is affordable both now and into the future. Banks and other financial institutions recognize the impact of energy efficiency through energy efficient mortgages – they look at the total cost of owning the home, including paying the utility bills. If the utility bills are lower, lenders can qualify borrowers for a larger loan.
From a larger perspective, the less California depends on depletable resources such as natural gas, coal, and oil, the stronger and more stable the economy will remain in the face of energy cost increases. A cost-effective investment in energy efficiency helps everyone. In many ways, it is far more cost effective for the people of California to invest in saving energy than it is to invest in building
new power plants.

Environment
In many parts of the world, the use of energy has led to oil spills, acid rain, smog, and other forms of environmental pollution that have ruined the natural beauty people seek to enjoy. California is not immune to these problems, but appliance standards, building standards, and utility programs that promote efficiency and conservation help to maintain environmental quality. Other benefits include reduced destruction of natural habitats, which in turn helps protect animals, plants, and natural systems.

Global Warming
Burning fossil fuel is a major contributor to global warming; carbon dioxide is being added to an atmosphere already containing 35 percent more than it did two centuries ago. Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses create an insulating layer around the earth that leads to global climate change. Energy Commission research shows that most of the sectors of the state economy face significant risk from climate change including water resources (from reduced snow pack), agriculture, forests, and the natural habitats of a number of indigenous plants and animals.
Scientists recommend that actions be taken to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses. While adding scrubbers to power plants and catalytic converters to cars reduce other emissions, they do not limit the carbon dioxide we emit into the atmosphere. Using energy efficiently is a farreaching strategy that can make an important contribution to the reduction of greenhouse gasses.
The National Academy of Sciences has urged the whole country to follow California's lead on such efforts, saying that conservation and efficiency should be the chief element in energy and global warming policy. Their first efficiency recommendation was simple: Adopt nationwide energy efficient building codes. Energy conservation will not only increase comfort levels and save homeowners money, it will also play a vital role in creating and maintaining a healthy environment.
The standard is expected to have a significant impact on reducing greenhouse gas and other air emissions. Carbon dioxide, one of the more significant greenhouse gases, would be reduced by 473,282 tons each year. These estimates are based, when possible, on hourly emission rates for electricity use in southern and northern California. When savings estimates are made on an annual basis, average emission rates are used.

Climate Zones
California is divided into 16 climate zones which are used to determine the energy use of a building in a particular area.  The standards have difference requirements and mandatory measures depending on the climate zone.  In certain instances cities may straddle two climate zones.  In such a case the exact location and climate zone of the building must be determined for energy compliance calculations.




























Image from the California Energy Commission's webpage