Residential building efficiency codes could be strengthened substantially under the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), which will be approved in September.
The IECC, which is amended every three years, is the model energy efficient building code recognized by federal law. Numerous upgrades to the code, including 30% increased efficiency, were recommended at the just-completed 2008 Codes Forum of the International Code Council (ICC)–the body in charge of approving the new IECC.
"The IECC Development Committee has elevated energy efficiency to the importance today’s international energy crisis warrants," said William Fay, coordinator of the Energy Efficient Codes Coalition (EECC), a broad-based alliance of energy efficiency advocates.
He added, "By recommending the first substantial boost in model energy codes for residential buildings in over a decade, the committee vote has confronted one of the last frontiers of wasted energy, a sector accounting for 40% of our nation’s energy and carbon emissions and 75% of its electricity."
Calls for a stronger energy code–on the order of 30% or beyond–are coming from a growing number of governmental and other bodies, including members of Congress and the EPA/DOE National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency, ASHRAE, Western Governors Association, US Department of Energy, National Petroleum Council, American Institute of Architects, and Mayors for Climate Protection.
According to Fay, a 30% boost in US residential energy efficiency would result in:
- Energy savings of 14.6 quadrillion Btu over the next 20 years (equal to the annual energy output of 132 base load power plants) and 790 million less metric tons of CO2.
- Annual homeowner savings of $112 billion from reducing wasted energy.
The EECC has recommended "The 30% Solution," which it says is a comprehensive package of achievable and affordable model code improvements that, if fully implemented, would boost new home energy efficiency by 30%.
Advocates for the EECC’s "The 30% Solution" include the U.S. Department of Energy and 30 mayors led by Will Wynn (Austin), Michael Bloomberg (NYC), Manny Diaz (Miami), Adrian Fenty (Washington, DC), Bob Foster (Long Beach), Greg Nickels (Seattle) and Doug Palmer (Trenton).
Although the Development Committee did not recommend all elements of EECC’s proposed "The 30% Solution" for adoption, other significant energy-saving code improvements by the Department of Energy, the Northwest Energy Codes Group and others, were recommended for approval along with many of EECC’s proposals. With these and other proposals on the docket in September, the final 2009 IECC package could mean a substantial boost in energy efficiency for new home construction.
The IECC Development Committee’s recommendations will be submitted to for approval at the Final Action Hearings this Fall where they will be voted on by the ICC’s membership, comprised of government officials that administer, adopt or enforce US building codes.
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