Building Codes - United States
IMT works to strengthen building codes across the United States. We help craft federal legislation related to codes, conduct reserach and advocacy work supportive of energy efficiency, and participate in the development of model codes and standards. On a more decentralized level, IMT works with state and local governments to adopt and enforce efficienct code policies.
IMT is a member of the Energy Efficient Codes Coalition.
IMT AND NATIONAL BUILDING CODES
IMT's recent work includes promotion of:
1) the Energy Efficiency Codes Coalition’s "The Thirty Percent Solution 2012"
2) the Core Energy Code proposed by the US DOE, AIA and the New Building Institute (NBI)
Work is also underway adopt advanced codes in various parts of the US. The Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnership released a Model Progressive Building Energy Codes Policy in March, 2009. Their Model Policy Paper includes recommendations for a comprehensive strategy that includes energy code compliance and measuring and reporting the energy baseline. It includes IMT's model legislative language for benchmarking and disclosure requirements (see our Benchmarking and Disclosure page for more information).
BUILDING CODES AND NET ZERO ENERGY
In the long run, the goal of many building code initiatives across the country is to achieve net zero energy buildings. The American Society of Heating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) issued a guidance document that offers Energy Use Intensity targets for code-intended standards to achieve net zero energy by 2031. The states of Florida and Washington are also leaders in this area. Florida law, passed in June 2008, sets targets for increasing energy efficiency in new buildings by ten percent over current code with every three-year revision of the building code, beginning in 2010. Washington state passed a comprehensive energy efficiency law, effective July 2009, that includes several provisions for better building codes, including: a provision to require that the Washington state energy code be designed to "Construct increasingly energy efficient homes and buildings that help achieve the broader goal of building zero fossil-fuel greenhouse gas emission homes and buildings by the year 2031..."; encouragement for the creation of a strategic plan that identifies barriers to achieving net zero energy buildings and methods to overcome the barriers through energy code updates and complementary policies; and that construction permitted under the 2031 state energy code achieve a seventy percent reduction in annual net energy consumption over the 2006 state energy code, requiring incremental increases in efficiency through the code until 2031.
NATIONAL RESEARCH
Energy code enforcement is an important component of strong building codes. John Hogan of Seattle and Lynn Benningfield of Herschong Mahone Group wrote Building Energy Code Enforcement, A Look at Seattle and California in 2003. The paper provides history and background around energy code enforcement in the US and highlights examples of some of the nation's best building energy code enforcement programs.
PRESS AND NEWS COVERAGE
Nov. 2, 2009: See IMT's letter to the International Code Council supporting stronger building energy codes
Oct. 27, 2009: IMT and the District of Columbia Building Industry Association (DCBIA) co-hosted a briefing on the Core Energy Code model code for commercial buildings. Dave Hewitt, executive director of New Buildings Institute (NBI), and Jim Edelson, consultant to NBI's Advanced Codes team, led the briefing. IMT's Cliff Majersik moderated the discussion. See the presentation.
June 2, 2009: US Senate Energy Bill Bulding Energy Code Provision
June 1, 2009: AIA and NBI co-sponsored proposal to strengthen by 25% the efficiency requirements for commercial buildings in the 2012 IECC. The Core Building Energy Efficiency Code is also a best-practice model for state and local adoption. Article
May 21, 2009: the American Clean Energy and Security Act passed the Energy and Commerce Committee on a 33-to-25 vote. In addition to creating a mechanism for capping and trading greenhouse gases, the bill creates a national building energy label and strengthens building energy codes and enforcement - provisions which reflect IMT research. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer hopes to pass the bill out of the House before the August recess. Energy and climate legislation is also pending in Senate committees.
May 21, 2009: NY Times article "The Race for Better Building Codes" describes states racing to strengthen their building energy codes, partially in response to the new federal Recovery Act.
May 15, 2009: IMT in the news - Massachusetts voted to adopt a stretch energy code, based on New Buildings Institute's Core Performance, that would make new commercial buildings under 100,000 square feet up to 30 percent more energy efficient than base standards. The article includes IMT's preliminary study that suggests that advanced building codes such as those put forth by MA could create 20,000 jobs nationally.
