Building Energy Codes Connection

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Drumroll, Please: Results of the 2018 IECC Are In…

Posted on by Kamaria Greenfield
by Maureen Guttman, AIA The votes have been counted and while some folks will be happy with the results, others are very disappointed.  No, we’re not talking about the presidential election, but about the Online Governmental Consensus Vote that will determine the content of the 2018 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). The bad news is that it appears that there will not be even a modest jump in the level of efficiency for the next energy code. Most of the proposals tha...
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How these 22 cities could shape the future of solar photovoltaics

Posted on by Kamaria Greenfield
by Kamaria Greenfield, BCAP The year 2030 is a meaningful one across the world of energy efficiency and renewable energy. The Architecture 2030 challenge aims to have all new buildings, developments, and major renovations be carbon neutral by this date. As a result of the Paris climate agreement, many countries have made pledges to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions on this same timeframe. And last month, the U.S. Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative announced their own 2030 targets: a ...
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Where Are They Now? Kansas

Posted on by Kamaria Greenfield
by Charlotte Volpe, BCAP In 2010, BCAP created a list of Places to Watch that were making strides in enacting energy efficient building codes. Now, we are going back to these nine jurisdictions to track their progress and see what other innovations they've added six years later. We will be looking for other places to watch in the future as cities lead the way with sustainability plans and energy saving goals.   In 2010, BCAP identified the State of Kansas as a place to watch in ter...
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Where Are They Now? New Hampshire

Posted on by Kamaria Greenfield
by Charlotte Volpe and Kamaria Greenfield, BCAP In 2010, BCAP created a list of Places to Watch that were making strides in enacting energy efficient building codes. Now, we are going back to these nine jurisdictions to track their progress and see what other innovations they've added six years later. We will be looking for other places to watch in the future as cities lead the way with sustainability plans and energy saving goals.   In 2010, BCAP identified New Hampshire as one it...
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Where Are They Now? Santa Fe, NM

Posted on by Kamaria Greenfield
by Charlotte Volpe, BCAP In 2010, BCAP created a list of Places to Watch that were making strides in enacting energy efficient building codes. Now, we are going back to these nine jurisdictions to track their progress and see what other innovations they’ve added six years later. We will be looking for other places to watch in the future as cities lead the way with sustainability plans and energy saving goals.   BCAP identified Santa Fe as a place to watch due to their residential g...
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Your Vote is Needed – and Now It’s Easier Than Ever

Posted on by Kamaria Greenfield
Vote online to preserve energy efficiency provisions in the forthcoming 2018 codes. Every three years, hundreds of building industry members from states across the nation convene to develop the next U.S. model building energy code via a consensus process held by the International Code Council. The process, which includes code officials, architects, engineers, product manufacturers, builders and energy efficiency advocates, is designed to ensure that modern-day technology and building practices ...
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Wins and Shortfalls for Energy Codes

Posted on by Kamaria Greenfield
On April 20th, the Senate passed a bipartisan S. 2012, which sponsors hope will become the first broad energy bill in almost a decade. In addition to electric grid modernization, the Energy Policy Modernization Act supports energy efficiency in buildings. It directs the Secretary of Energy to "encourage and support the adoption of building energy codes...that meet or exceed the model building energy codes, or achieve equivalent or greater savings, and support full compliance with the state and l...
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Comprehensive State Energy Plans: A Brief Comparison

Posted on by Kamaria Greenfield
A majority of states have developed comprehensive energy plans that provide recommendations for increasing efficiencies across numerous sectors. As buildings account for around 40% of national energy consumption, one aspect of these state plans should be building energy codes. This article will provide a brief overview of how several recently published state plans are addressing building concerns. Maine (February 2015) Because of the high demand for home heating oil in the state, one of Main...
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New Report Compares Cost-Effectiveness Methodologies As Congress Considers Requirements For Energy Code Updates

Posted on by Kamaria Greenfield
A significant proposal before Congress would require proposed energy code changes to be evaluated for their cost-effectiveness prior to inclusion in a code. The proposal before Congress designates simple payback as the principal basis for evaluating the cost-effectiveness of proposed energy code changes, but two other methods for determining cost-effectiveness are Life Cycle Cost (LCC) and Mortgage Cash-Flow (MCF). When assessing efficiency measures, it is important to include energy and cash sa...
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Report On Florida Circuit Rider Program Now Available

Posted on by Kamaria Greenfield
Energy code circuit riders are in-field experts that meet with specific individuals to address code compliance and enforcement needs. Circuit riders travel to individual jurisdictions to provide tailored technical assistance and resources to support energy code compliance. The Florida program aimed to develop a snapshot of code enforcement in the field, and identify needs for future targeted technical assistance to strengthen enforcement of Florida’s commercial code. This report from SEEA...
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Forthcoming 2018 International Green Construction Code (IgCC) To Consolidate ICC And ASHRAE Standards

Posted on by Kamaria Greenfield
In a deal nearly two years in the making, the International Code Council (ICC) and ASHRAE have signed the final agreement that outlines each organization’s role in the development and maintenance of the new version of the International Green Construction Code (IgCC). The code, scheduled to be released in 2018, will include ASHRAE Standard 189.1, Standard for the Design of High-Performance, Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings developed using the American National Standards In...
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Happy Energy Action Month!

Posted on by Kamaria Greenfield
October is the designated national month for energy efficiency. In 1981, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) initiated American Energy Week to raise energy awareness. Five years later, in 1986, DOE turned the Energy Week into a month-long observance to address the growing concerns regarding energy scarcity and climate change. Since then, October has been declared as the month to raise awareness and promote energy efficiency by two presidents: President George H.W. Bush declared October as Nation...
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BCAP Movers And Shakers

Posted on by Kamaria Greenfield
In September, BCAP President Maureen Guttman was elected chairman of the Governing Committee of ICC’s Sustainability Membership Council at the International Code Council 2014 Annual Conference in Fort Lauderdale. The Governing Committee serves to actively engage ICC members in discussions about priorities and opportunities and advises the direction of ICC with regard to green and energy code enforcement.BCAP Program Director Maria Ellingson has been elected to serve as a member of the RESN...
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CdpACCESS: A New, Easy Way To Get Your Vote Counted

Posted on by Kamaria Greenfield
The International Code Council (ICC) had a problem: Its I-Code Development Hearings were growing longer at the same time that building department budgets and staffs were growing smaller. In 2011, ICC’s Board of Directors took action, forming a Steering Committee and charging them with the daunting mission of bring the complicated code development process into the electronic age to boost the participation of Governmental Members and other stakeholders. Last November, ICC rolled out its much-anti...
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HERS and the IECC Performance Path

Posted on by Kamaria Greenfield
The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) analyzed the relationship between the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Index and the traditional simulation-based Performance Path used in the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). The analysis evaluates, for a single-family residence with various characteristics, the ranges of HERS Index values that would imply compliance with the 2012 IECC Performance Path. While this analysis does not attemp...
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Taking Aim At Barriers To Innovations From Codes And Standards

Posted on by Kamaria Greenfield
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Building America Program is taking aim at barriers to innovations from codes and standards. Building America will release Code Compliance Briefs to facilitate the conversation between builders, installers, and code officials when an innovative product or technique is used in the field. The new content will reside under the Compliance Tab in the Building America Solution Center labeled Code Compliance Brief. The intent of the Building America Code Compliance Brie...
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Going for the Next 20 Years

Posted on by Kamaria Greenfield
by Maureen Guttman, AIA When I first came to BCAP two and half years ago, there was a staff of 11 people in four locations, 23 active projects happening in 11 states and a $1.5 million budget. Trying to absorb the details of everything that this team was managing, I was impressed, excited, overwhelmed, and certain I would never catch up to these folks. From modest beginnings in 1994 until now, the BCAP team has grown in expertise and effectiveness in promoting the adoption and administration o...
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Code Officials Become Energy Code Ambassadors In The State Of Texas

Posted on by Kamaria Greenfield
The South-central Partnership for Energy Efficiency as a Resource (SPEER) and BCAP provided thirteen building code professionals advanced training to become certified Energy Code Ambassadors in the state of Texas. These experienced code enforcement professionals have stepped forward to offer their expertise and assistance to other building departments and the construction industry, to assure that construction of buildings and homes comply with the energy code, providing greater energy efficiency...
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