The Challenge

New housing starts continue to try to keep pace with California's growth in population, with more than 200,000 new housing starts expected per year (single and multi-family) for the foreseeable future, according to the California Building Industry Association Statistics on Housing Starts.

With increased interest in low carbon, higher density mixed use communities, California has great opportunities to lead the nation's development of the ultimate in sustainability, zero-carbon communities.

It is generally simpler, quicker and much more economic to incorporate sustainability into new construction than through retrofits, and there are examples throughout California of developers and communities who are trying to do just that. However, even when both developers and local government are willing, cost-effective opportunities are still left on the table due to insufficient information, or because of barriers encountered along the way that thwart even the best efforts and intentions.

In many cases, once an opportunity has come and gone, the next window to reduce energy, water, waste, transportation and greenhouse gas emissions is during retrofit. By then, it becomes a more difficult and higher cost choice, and the reductions of greenhouse gases, energy and water that could have occurred up to that point are forever lost.