In California, all newly developed homes are now required to have some form of solar power.
The requirement, which begins to two years from now, requires California builders to either make individual homes available with solar panels, or build a shared solar-power system serving a group of homes.
California often leads the way when it comes to policy changes, and many across the country are wondering how many states are going to follow California and do the same. A new cross-country study by Morning Consult is now showing that 63 percent of Americans support California’s decision.
The study, which polled 2,201 adults, found that 32 percent said they “somewhat” support requiring builders to add solar to new homes and 31 percent “strongly support” such a mandate. Together, that equals 63 percent of support.
On average, California builds 80,000 new homes a year, 15,000 of which have solar installations. At the current rate of home building, the new requirement could increase the annual number of solar installations by a whopping 44 percent.
The California Public Utilities Commission’s strategic plan currently calls for newly constructed homes to have net-zero energy needs by 2020.
You don’t have to have a new home to get solar though. Become part of the solar movement! If you are interested in doing your part by installing solar on your home, contact us today!