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This week, Liz Snow of the California Building Industry Association (CBIA) is talking to The Real Story about some of the challenges facing new home builders across the state. With the adoption of new green building standards, California will take center stage as home builders demonstrate their commitment to innovation and energy conservation—as Liz puts it, the equivalent of having the entire auto industry moving toward producing hybrids.

But what about all of those energy-guzzling existing homes, especially those built before dual-paned windows and serious insulation became standard with the passage of Title 24 pack in the late 1970’s? Liz comments that there are “inappropriate expectations” that new home construction will somehow make up for the 12 – 15 million existing homes that do not offer the basics in energy efficiency. To complicate the matter, the state Public Utilities Commission oversees the upgrading of the existing housing stock and the State Energy Commission is in charge of standards for new homes— opening the metaphorical door for conflicts in the regulatory environment.