When planning a new custom home, energy efficiency seems to be either a primary concern or no concern at all. Most families I've spoken to don't seem to have a middle ground. California law has changed several times over the years, and the primary energy regulations people in the Tenaja area need to be concerned with is Title 24.
Steve and I applied for our building permit on the house we are building just prior to the 1 October 2005 date which saw new regulations go into effect which establish tighter controls over the numbers of incandescent lights that can be used and where, switching requirements for those lights, specifications for light cans, additional requirements for insulation, inspection requirements for certain types of energy credits, and much more.
Frankly, I'm pleased with the regulations that have gone into effect. I have no desire to see massive new electric transmission towers being built through the national forests in order to handle our ever-increasing power demands. I'd love to see each of us be able to do more to generate some of our own electricity and install lighting that will serve our needs while reducing our consumption.
An are like Tenaja is comprised of homes that have higher than average resale values. Sometimes that can mean that people think they don't really need to watch things like energy consumption patterns because, frankly, the electric bill is not that large a dent in their wallets. I am hopeful, though, that the beauty and peaceful surrounding and quiet solitude can effect a change in that thought process. If we can keep the drain on our electric lines down even in an area like ours, there is hope for the rest of our great state.
I'm not advocating that we all go out and strap ourselves to a tree, eat bark, and become vegans. I'm a red meat eater and Steve and I own firearms. We're not out to say you need to give up your incandescent chandeliers in your dining rooms. But lets look at our energy use with a careful eye, and see if we can't trim back our requirements. Keeping out huge transmission lines is easier when we are not ourselves sucking down large power loads for our homes. Let's learn to keep our requirements low so we can keep those huge power lines away from the Tenaja corridor.
