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On Wednesday, the California Energy Commission approved a set of standards that will require most new homes built in the state after 2020 to include solar panels on their roofs.
The standards(PDF) apply only to single-family homes and certain low-rise condos, townhomes, and apartments.
Exceptions are made for homes with roofs that would receive excessive shade during the daytime or homes with roofs too small to benefit from a few solar panels.
The standards also include some smaller efficiency requirements for non-residential buildings.
The state expects that, on the whole, the new requirements will help state residents save money.
Overall, California expects the new residential and non-residential standards to cost the state economy $2.17 billion, while generating an energy bill savings of $3.87 billion, for a net savings of $1.7 billion.
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