Making homes and buildings in Encinitas energy efficient and environmentally friendly not only helps to save resources and reduce climate impacts, it could also save you money. Green building encompasses a building’s whole life cycle, from construction and materials to maintenance and daily resource consumption. When building a new home or renovating an existing structure, owners and builders should be aware of the state's energy efficiency and green building requirements stipulated in the California Building Code, Title 24 Part 6 (Energy Code) and Part 11 (Green Building Code) as well as the City's local energy efficiency and green building regulations outlined on this webpage. Monetary Incentives can provide additional support when constructing energy efficient homes and green buildings by lowering costs. 

Local Green Building Regulations

To meet the goals of the City’s Climate Action Plan (CAP), the development of a comprehensive green building ordinance was initiated in 2019, adopted in 2021, and amended in 2022. The green building ordinance includes requirements that align with the following CAP measures:

• BE-1: Adopt a Residential Energy Efficiency Ordinance
• BE-2: Require Decarbonization of New Residential Buildings
• BE-3: Adopt Higher Energy Efficiency Standards for Commercial Buildings
• BE-4: Require Decarbonization of New Commercial Buildings
• RE-2: Require New Homes to Install Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Systems
• RE-3: Require Commercial Buildings to Install Solar Photovoltaic Systems
• CET-4: Require Residential Electric Vehicle Charging Stations (EVCS)
• CET-5: Require Commercial Electric Vehicle Charging Stations (EVCS)

Ordinance 2022-13  and Ordinance 2022-14 were adopted by City Council on October 26, 2022. The following fact sheets and checklists summarize the new amended green building requirements: 

• Single Family Green Building Checklist
• Non-Residential & Multifamily Green Building Checklist
• All Electric New Buildings Fact Sheet
• Residential Energy Efficiency Fact Sheet
• Multifamily Energy Efficiency Fact Sheet
• Non-Residential Energy Efficiency Fact Sheet
• Non-Residential Solar PV Fact Sheet
• Electric Vehicle Charging Fact Sheet
• Electric-Ready Buildings Design Guideline

Any discretionary or non-discretionary project that has submitted a building permit application to the City on and after January 1st, 2023 are subject to the new provisions.

Please note that on June 14, 2023, in response to the Ninth Circuit’s ruling in California Restaurant Association v. City of Berkeley, Encinitas City Council temporarily suspended EMC 23.12.110.B and EMC 23.12.110.C, which regulate the use of fuel gas infrastructure in new buildings.  If the Ninth Circuit’s ruling is overturned or modified, the City Council will immediately consider reinstating the regulation.  All other portions of the local Energy Code and Green Building Code and all portions of Title 24 building code are still in effect.

Green Building Incentive Program

The City of Encinitas Green Building Incentive Program provides financial incentive, priority plan check, and City Council recognition for projects that register and achieve certification with Build It Green (BIG) GreenPoint Rated and/or US Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) ®. Once registered with the City’s program, all plan checks for construction-related permits receive priority in the plan check process. On completion of the project and certification by BIG or LEED®, the project will be eligible for reimbursement for the costs of providing green building measures to achieve final certification up to a maximum of $2,000 per project.

Green Building Incentive Program Registration Form

Under a separate program, permit fees for basic installations of energy efficient systems such as solar systems and electric vehicle charging systems may be waived or reduced.

State and Federal Incentives

Installing electric appliances is an important component of green buildings and energy efficiency. While modern electric appliances can reduce energy bills in the long run, especially when combined with solar, the installation and appliance costs can be high. State and federal incentives are available to help make the electric switch financially possible.

Filtered by zip code, The Switch is On is a one-stop-shop for all available rebates and incentives in your area. Savings can range between $200 - $5,500 when substituting natural gas for electric appliances. 

The California Electric Homes Program, funded by the California Energy Commission, provides technical assistance and financial incentives to residential developers and builders constructing new all-electric single family or multifamily homes.

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