Drought Spurs Thoughts on Conserving Energy : Surviving: If we put off energy conservation, the way we put off water savings, we could face brownouts and unrealistic energy bills.

Until the drought, California homeowners paid little attention to faucets, toilets, shower heads and sprinkler systems--as long as they worked.

But when reservoirs started drying up and water supplies to the county were cut, homeowners began scrutinizing these mundane dispensers. We found that it took five to seven gallons to flush the toilet, even in newer homes, despite the existence for years of technology and appliances that could do the job with only 1.6 gallons. We learned similar facts about showers and watering the lawn.

We’ve known for decades that our population had outgrown our meager local supply of water. Yet we kept building and equipping our houses with little regard to water use.

The drought will change that. Water rates will be restructured with financial incentives to conserve. Even without the drought, San Diego County growth has made conservation a necessity instead of just a civic responsibility.

That’s because conservation is cheaper than finding new sources of water, as the price tags on reclamation and desalination systems show.

The same concept applies to energy; conservation is less expensive than building new power plants. We live in an energy desert; we import most of our power. That dependence on outside energy is likely to increase, given San Diego’s anticipated growth and the difficulty of siting power plants.

So conservation will become all the more important, to keep the costs of energy affordable. The California Energy Commission estimates that 75% of the demand for energy from new residents over the next 10 years should be able to come from conservation.

Now is the time to start changing how we build our homes and to retrofit existing houses to make them more energy efficient.

The California Energy Commission is developing residential energy guidelines for California cities to consider as they update the housing sections of their general plans every five years.

The updates present an opportunity to incorporate innovative and affordable conservation incentives into the plans. This can cut utility costs for individual homeowners and renters while minimizing the demands for new power sources and making housing a little more affordable. It’s also a way to draw upon Gov. Pete Wilson’s call for preventive governmental assistance.

How can we enlist preventive approaches for utility costs?

The California Energy Commission’s “Energy Efficiency Report” puts out specific recommendations every two years.

In existing homes, it means upgrading insulation and buying more efficient hot water heaters--heating water uses up to 26% of the average home’s energy. Interior lighting can be replaced with newly available energy-conserving devices. The days of removing every other light bulb to save electricity are long gone. It is estimated that 80% of all existing homes can use these improvements. And such changes can reduce energy costs by as much as 40%, saving homeowners up to $300 to $400 a year. Additional savings can be had by purchasing the most energy-efficient appliances. Water-conserving shower heads also conserve the energy needed to heat the water.

In new construction, with proper design, fixtures and appliances, the Energy Commission says a whopping 70% reduction in energy costs is possible with no sacrifice in the comfort of the home. In fact, the comfort level can increase. Local architect Stan Keniston designed a home in Vista in the mid-1970s with a heating system, as required by building codes. However, because of his thermal efficient design, the heater has never been used.

New homes should be required to have higher grades of insulation--R-38 instead of R-30. The most efficient hot water heaters should be installed. In coastal communities, where heat is used more than air conditioning, the vents should be near the floor instead of the ceiling.

Builders and homeowners will need incentives to make some of these changes.

The state requires minimal energy efficiency in new construction. But local governments, utilities and banks can supply some of the impetus.

The city of San Jose, for instance, through its “Sustainable Cities Strategy” provides energy efficiency design guidelines that a builder can follow to cut 21 days off the permit process. And San Diego Gas & Electric Co. provides financial incentives for builders that exceed state requirements by at least 5%

Lenders are joining in. Energy efficient homes are more affordable, which is particularly important for first-time and low-income buyers. The Veterans Administration and FHA have an “Energy Efficient Mortgage” (EEM), which rewards buyers of energy efficient homes by easing qualifications. Several major lenders are beginning to expand this program, with an emphasis on low-income buyers.

To encourage more use of this money-saving conservation program, the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. and the Federal National Mortgage Assn. streamlined their processing on EEMs last year.

A big push, however, could be provided by a bill now in the state Assembly. AB-1732, sponsored by Assemblyman Jim Costa (D-Fresno), would require local governments to include conservation goals in their general plans and require the state Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission to develop “best practice/best technology” model codes for energy efficient buildings.

Whether or not this bill becomes law, San Diego County and its 18 cities should strive for higher conservation goals for housing as they update their general plans. Current goals call for only 2% energy savings per person.

Let’s not repeat the mistakes we made with water. We should learn from the drought. If we put off energy conservation, the way we put off water conservation, we could find ourselves with brownouts on hot summer days and energy bills that make homeownership even less affordable than it is now.