What Is It?
The Santa Barbara County Planning & Development Department established an Innovative Building Review Committee consisting of professionals to advise the public on energy-efficient building design.During the early stages of designing a project, owners and designers can request design guidance from the Committee on cost-effective methods to exceed California Energy Standards (Title 24) by 15% or more for residential development, or 25% or more for commercial and industrial development. There are no fees or charges for these services.
Goal
The goal of the Innovative Building Review Committee is to improve energy performance of buildings beyond minimum state standards. Energy-efficient improvements, whether incorporated as retrofits to existing facilities or installed during new construction, significantly lower operating costs.
Why?
Design professionals and others want to use innovative energy-efficient techniques in their building plans. However, in the past, they experienced prolonged review when proposing a new and different technology. The Innovative Building Review Committee removes obstacles to applying innovative energy-efficient techniques to building design and construction.