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Planning commission undertaking first top-to-bottom revision in six decades, streamlining and speeding up land-use.

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Click here for full article

The “National Green Building Standard”, available thru BuildersBooks.com, provides ‘green’ practice that can be incorporated into multifamily and single-family new home construction, home remodeling and additions and site development.

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The standard covers lot design, resource, energy and water efficiency, indoor environment quality, and owner education.

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Currently the first and only ANSI-approved green building rating system, the National Green Building Standard is the benchmark for green homes.

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To view or purchase this publication online, click here

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Starting January 1, 2010 California began enforcing the ASHRAE 62.2 Indoor Ventilation Code as part of the new Title-24 Building Efficiency Standards.  Many architects, contractors, and building departments have been struggling to understand and implement the requirements as they wade thru the fairly complex and dense language of the ASHRAE 62.2-2007 code book and the references contained in the 2008 Title-24 Building Efficiency Standards and the Residential Manual.

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The California Energy Commission has promised and delivered a very helpful users guide that is now available for download.  Entitled: “Guide to the Indoor Ventilation Requirements of the 2008 Building Energy Efficiency Standards (ASHRAE 62.2).

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The guide contains, in a checklist format, the requirements for showing compliance with an exhaust-only ventilation approach including a very helpful appendix that contains the much anticipated sample note blocks that can be placed on the building plans for plancheck without the need to complete the actual CF-6R-MECH-5 Certificate of Installation which is not required to be produced until inspection.  This allows the designer to specify on the plans submitted to plancheck the requirements for ventilation airflow, the rooms where the whole-building and local ventilation exhaust fans will be located, and the duct sizing for the whole-building and local ventilation.

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These sample noteblocks can now be used and place on the plans to meet the requirements for submittal of the ventilation system specifications for plancheck.

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Click here to download

The California Public Utilities Commission issued a new Assigned Commissioner Ruling (ACR) on July 29, 2010 lifting a temporary hold on the issuance of confirmed reservations for Performance Based Incentive (PBI) and government/non-profit projects established by a July 9th ACR.

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The July 29th Ruling directs the CSI Program Administrators to resume processing and issuing confirmed reservations for all applications, including those impacted by the temporary postponement and held in queue in the order received, subject to the existing rules and processes of the program.

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The Commission will continue to consider the three modifications proposed in the July 9th Ruling (see below), which are 1) removal of the 8% discount rate embedded in the calculation of performance based incentive (PBI) payments; 2) reduction in the incentive rate offered for government and non-profit applicants; and 3) shifting of $20 million from the program administration budget to the incentive budget.

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If the Commission adopts either of the proposed incentive modifications, it is intended that such changes would apply only on a going forward basis, applicable to new applications seeking incentives after the date of any such decision.

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To read the July 29, 2010 CPUC Ruling canceling the temporary hold on certain application processing, click here.

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The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) on July 6 effectively shut down Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing programs, which it said “present significant safety and soundness concerns,” and it directedFannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Home Loan Banks to take a number of steps to resolve problems with the first liens that are established by PACE loans.

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PACE programs have been embraced by the Obama Administration and state and local municipalities as a means to finance the upfront costs of energy-efficient retrofits for residential and commercial properties. The programs enable the costs for these upgrades to be repaid through a special assessment added to the home owner’s property tax bill. The assessment stays with the property and is transferred to subsequent owners until the retrofit costs are repaid.

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Under the programs, property owners borrow the money from their local government and repay the loans over 15 to 20 years. Funding comes from municipal PACE bonds that are sold to investors.

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PACE loans have run afoul of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac guidelines because most establish liens that are senior to existing mortgage debt. In the case of a default, the municipality would be repaid for the PACE loan before Fannie and Freddie received any money on the mortgage.

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Some 22 states and hundreds of local governments have been developing PACE programs, with more than $100 million in federal support.

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First publicly raising concerns about the programs in a letter dated June 18, 2009, the FHFA has been working with states and localities since that time to resolve the issue through improved underwriting of the loans and most importantly to get them to accept a junior lien position, which for the most part they have been unwilling to do.

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On May 5, Fannie and Freddie issued letters to their seller/servicers cautioning them to be aware of PACE programs in their jurisdictions and reminding them that programs with liens superior to the mortgage run counter to their Uniform Security Instruments, which govern securities backed by Fannie and Freddie loan purchases.

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The letters did not provide guidance on how to handle existing PACE loans, putting a chill on existing PACE programs until further guidance was provided.

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In its July 6 statement, the FHFA said that it was directing Fannie and Freddie to waive their Uniform Security Instrument prohibitions against PACE loans with a priority first lien that were obtained by home owners before that date.

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The agency also said that Fannie and Freddie should protect their safe and sound operations by undertaking several actions to address PACE programs with first liens.

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This includes adjusting loan-to-value ratios to reflect the maximum permissible PACE loan amount available to borrowers. This varies by jurisdiction, but is typically 10% to 20% of the property value and can be as much as $50,000.

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Fannie and Freddie were also told to ensure that loan covenants require approval/consent for any PACE loan; to tighten borrower debt-to-income ratios to account for additional obligations associated with possible future PACE loans; and to ensure that mortgages on properties in a jurisdiction offering PACE programs satisfy all applicable federal and state lending regulations and guidance.

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It is not yet clear how Fannie and Freddie will implement this directive, but they are expected to come out with guidance for their seller/servicers. They could require that borrowers seek permission from lenders on each lien. They could also tighten lending standards for all borrowers in jurisdictions that have PACE programs.

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Significantly, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation also released statements on PACE bonds echoing the FHFA’s concerns and advising banks that invest in mortgage-backed securities with PACE liens to consider the impact of the lien on the security valuation.

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NAHB has been monitoring developments on this issue, but has formulated no policy on PACE programs. Several home builders associations have expressed interest in these programs, particularly in California and Colorado.

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For more information, e-mail Chellie Hamecs at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8425.

The Radio Powr Savr Wireless Daylight Sensorfrom Lutron Electronics Co. is a battery-powered, ceiling-mount sensor that decreases or turns off electric lighting when sufficient daylight is available. Once it detects daylight, the sensor transmits information via Clear Connect RF communications to compatible dimming and switching devices, which adjust light levels accordingly. Sensors are placed on the ceiling and a standard light switch is replaced with a compatible Lutron dimmer or switch. No wiring is required, and several mounting options are available to accommodate a variety of ceiling materials. The sensors are compatible with several Lutron dimmers, switches, control units, and systems. lutron.com

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Registration payment page   (if you haven’t registered yet click here)

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Webinar fee: $50.00

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Title-24, Title-24

We have arranged an monthly presentation of our ½ day training Webinar/class that addresses the new changes to the residential Title-24 lighting & ventilation code.

Title-24, Title-24

As some of you are aware of the new 2008 Title-24 Building Efficiency Standards have been adopted in California and take effect January 1, 2010.   One of the most sweeping changes involve residential indoor and outdoor lighting requirements, particularly kitchen lighting and the new adoption of ASHRAE 62.2 indoor air quality code.

Kitchen Lighting, Title-24

New restrictions, control requirements, high efficacy fixture requirements and incandescent allowances, and interior lighting worksheets will add an additional layer of complexity to residential lighting design.  This class will bring you up to speed on the new changes and address the underlying principles, calculation methods, strategies to assist you in complying with the new code changes and take you step by step thru the new WS-6R lighting certificate of compliance which must be filled out before the final certificate of occupancy will be issued.

Kitchen Lighting, Title-24

You will also understand which fixtures will comply as high efficacy (not all LED fixtures are certified as high efficacy), the lighting control requirements for each room type and the new fixture and control requirements for residential outdoor lighting.

Title-24, Title-24

California has now adopted the requirements of ASHRAE 62.2-2007 which means that starting January 1, 2010, all low-rise residential buildings are required to install whole house mechanical ventilation and satisfy other requirements to achieve acceptable indoor air quality.  Openable windows will no longer be an acceptable method for satisfying outdoor air requirements.  This will involve calculations for determining the minimum ventilation cfm and designing a system to provide the necessary airflow with proper controls.  You will learn the proper method for determining ventilation airflow, strategies for designing a cost effective ventilation system, and how to fill out the new ventilation Certificate of Installation.

Kitchen Lighting, Title-24

Learn from one of the leading experts in California’s Title-24 Building Efficiency Standards (Title-24), Mark Madison, a state certified Energy Plans Examiner and Certified Energy Analyst, HERS rater, Greenpoint rater with over 25 years experience with building energy code compliance analysis, enforcement and training.

Title-24, Title-24

Feedback from those who have attended our webinars

Title-24, Title 24

Earn 3 AIA HSW & SD Learning units (Health Safety & Welfare & Sustainable Design)

Kitchen Lighting, Title-24

New lower webinar fee: $50.00

Kitchen Lighting, Title-24

This class is for architects, interior designers, electricians HVAC contractors, and building officials.

Title-24, Title-24

Location, date, & time:

Webinar

August 12, 2010

9a.m. to 12 noon

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Although it’s only a proposed project, these “dynamic” buildings, designed by architect David Fisher, are insane.

This building, designed for Dubai, is a 250-apartment building of 80 individually rotating floors. If built, it will effectively be the world’s first rotating skyscraper, completely self-powered by wind.

Fisher’s architecture is featured in a new book titled Nat Geo Amazing!, a companion to the new TV series. It’s a collection of 100, you guessed it, amazing things found around the world. And, despite the title, the photos are pretty cool.