New green construction guidelines in Los Altos Hills, CA

On October 9th the Los Altos City Council approved new requirements and incentives for green building standards based in part on the California Global Warming Solution Act of 2006 AB32.  The act requires state and local governments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to the level they were at in 1990 by the year 2020.

The Los Altos green building requirements focus on increasing buildings' water and energy efficiency, conserving resources in building materials and improving indoor air quality. New public facility projects and homes must score 50+ points on the city GreenPoint checklist or 45+ points on the national Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for homes (LEED) checklist. Homes that are undergoing a remodel may opt in to the new requirements but are not mandatory.

Buildings (and opted in remodeling projects) that exceed the minimum requirements may qualify for expedited permit processing up to two day expedited building inspections. For more information on California's AB 32 go here. For more information on Los Altos and the city solar program go here.