Santa Barbara Looks at More Stringent Energy Efficiency

Santa Barbara could soon have the most stringent energy efficiency standards of any Californian city if a proposed ordinance approved by the city council’s ordinance committee is approved by the council as a whole. The proposed ordinance-which came in response to lobbying from the Community Environmental Council-would impose energy efficiencies 20 percent higher than what the state now requires for residential properties, 15 percent higher for high rises, and 10 percent for commercial properties. According to architect Paul Poirier, the cost of achieving these efficiencies is notably low. For as little as $6,000, he said many residential property owners could achieve 60 percent higher than current state standards. Those standards, however, are scheduled to be revamped in 2008.