San Francisco is a very liberal city, so it is no surprise the city has passed a very aggressive green building initiative for both new and current structures.

San Francisco may be the city by the bay, but it happens to be a very energy intensive city as well. If you have never been to San Francisco, let me just say it is usually cold or raining unless the summer season is upon you. Given this, heating is a huge issue and a major energy drain.

The new Existing Commercial Building Energy Performance Ordinance was passed on February 9th by the City and details new energy requirements for structures within the boundaries of the metropolis. The owners of non-residential buildings are now required to run an energy audit and report to the public how much energy their building uses. Buildings over 10,000 square feet must have such an audit every five years with the results being used to improve energy usage.

Study after study has shown that “green buildings” are far more valuable than their inefficient brethren. On top of this, it has been shown that products currently on the market can make a building 50 percent more energy efficient if simply installed. While this doesn’t make the building in question qualified for a green building certification, it is a huge step in the right direction. 

Is there anything odd about the new San Francisco law? Yes. California is usually a leader in these areas and it is very surprising that San Francisco has taken so long to enact such a requirement. It is at least five years behind the Big Apple, something few would guess.