September 30, 2014

Contact: Chris Potter, 202-525-2883, x311 / chris@imt.org

MISSISSIPPI DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY, ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES DIVISION; ASTORIA, OREGON; AND DENVER, COLO.'S SHAUNNA MOZINGO WIN ENERGY EFFICIENCY AWARD FROM IMT AND ICC

Washington, DC—September 30, 2014—Today, at the International Code Council’s (ICC) Annual Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., the Institute for Market Transformation (IMT) and ICC recognized the winners of the Standard Bearers Award for Excellence in Energy Code Compliance. This national award program, now in its third year, honors state and local jurisdictions and individuals who have gone above and beyond to raise compliance with building energy codes using smart, practical, and cost-effective strategies.

The winners of the 2014 Standard Bearers Award are:

  • Mississippi Development Authority, Energy and Natural Resources Division
    State Jurisdiction Winner
     
  • Astoria, Oregon
    Local Jurisdiction Winner
     
  • Shaunna Mozingo, Parker, Colorado 
    Energy Code Leader

Strong building energy codes are one of the most effective and affordable tools to guarantee that buildings save owners money on utility bills and provide a safe, healthy, and comfortable environment for occupants. While many states and counties have adopted stronger energy codes in recent years, there’s been a significant lack of funding and emphasis placed on efforts to ensure compliance with those codes—efforts such as training, outreach, implementation, and enforcement. 

However, building departments and officials are finding ways to raise compliance rates despite constraints on their budgets and time. The Standard Bearers Award recognizes their achievements. The smart strategies they have used include launching a comprehensive code training regimen with local experts to educate design, construction, and enforcement communities in different state regions (Mississippi Development Authority); equipping both historic and new buildings with efficient code-compliant measures that are flexible and affordable (Astoria, Ore.); and standardizing documents that can be used across an entire state to improve energy code compliance in local jurisdictions (Shaunna Mozingo).

“It is very rewarding to see ICC members recognized for achieving energy use reduction as a result of code adoption and code compliance,” said International Code Council CEO Dominic Sims, CBO. “We are very pleased to partner with IMT in presenting the Standard Bearers Award.”

Energy code compliance levels are below 50 percent in many places, and in some places 100 percent of the buildings are not compliant—meaning many buildings are using more energy than they were designed to use. Improving energy code compliance nationwide would result in huge benefits: IMT estimates the savings from bringing just a year’s worth of new residential and commercial construction in the U.S. up to full energy code compliance could reach $189 million. This equates to lifetime savings of up to $37.1 billion for just five years' worth of new buildings. A taskforce led by IMT also found that every $1 spent on code compliance efforts yields up to $6 of energy savings.

“Simply enforcing the energy codes that have already been adopted will lead to higher quality construction and significant energy savings, putting millions of dollars back into the pockets of homeowners and businesses each year,” said Cliff Majersik, Executive Director of IMT. “This award highlights the great work by leading jurisdictions and individuals who are committed to tackling the root causes for non-compliance.”

A panel of past award winners and foremost experts on building codes and energy efficiency chose this winners of this year’s Standard Bearers Award, including members of ICC, the Building Codes Assistance Project, and the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance. The award is sponsored by Global Buildings Performance Network (GBPN)—IMT and GBPN awarded $1,500 to each recipient to attend the 2014 ICC Annual Conference, to be honored at today’s ICC Awards Luncheon and participate in this year’s code hearings in person. Winners will also be profiled on IMT and ICC’s websites, in newsletters, blog posts, and case studies.

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ABOUT IMT: The Institute for Market Transformation (IMT) is a Washington, DC-based nonprofit organization promoting energy efficiency, green building, and environmental protection in the United States and abroad. IMT's work addresses market failures that inhibit investment in energy efficiency and sustainability in the building sector. For more information, visit imt.org.

ABOUT ICC: The International Code Council is a member-focused association. It is dedicated to developing model codes and standards used in the design, build and compliance process to construct safe, sustainable, affordable and resilient structures. Most U.S. communities and many global markets choose the International Codes.

The International Codes, or I-Codes, published by ICC, provide minimum safeguards for people at home, at school and in the workplace. The I-Codes are a complete set of comprehensive, coordinated building safety and fire prevention codes. Building codes benefit public safety and support the industry’s need for one set of codes without regional limitations. For more information, visit www.iccsafe.org

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