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Energy Regulations Expected To Push Up Prices For New California Homes

SACRAMENTO (CBS/AP) - The cost of building a new home in California is expected to go up under tighter energy efficiency rules approved by a state commission.

The California Energy Commission said the rules it approved unanimously Thursday will raise the average cost of a new home by nearly $2,300.

But the commission said the more efficient homes will save owners thousands more in energy costs, as well as add to the value of their homes.

CBS 5's Anne Makovec got a look at the Willow Glen home of Allen Gilliland Friday. Gilliland showed off some of the features that made his house the first to achieve net zero energy certification from the California Energy Commission. Net zero will become the building standard for new residential construction by 2020.

Some requirements will vary based on the climate of the part of the state where the home is built. But all new homes must insulate hot water pipes and have roofs equipped for solar panels.

The energy efficiency standards will also apply to new commercial building construction. The commission calls the new rules the nation's strongest.

KCBS' Margie Shafer Reports:

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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