A recent survey conducted by the National Institute of Building Sciences on behalf of the International Code Council (ICC) reveals information that if not addressed in the coming years, may have an impact on the public safety of thousands of communities in the United States.
The survey, which consisted of 25 multiple-choice questions, went out nationwide to building code compliance professionals at the federal, regional, state and local levels this spring. A total of 3,850 code professionals ...
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Compliance
Taking Aim At Barriers To Innovations From Codes And Standards
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 Bri...
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Code Officials Become Energy Code Ambassadors In The State Of Texas
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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High-R Wall Construction Strategies: Reducing Costs And Risk While Increasing Energy Performance
by Seul Rhee
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Building America research program has been a source of innovations in residential building energy performance, durability, quality, affordability and comfort for nearly 20 years. This world-class research program partners with industry (including many of the top U.S. homebuilders) to bring cutting-edge innovations and resources to market.
The NAHB Research Center Building America industry team’s high-R wall system research focuses primaril...
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The Energy Code Ambassador Program: A Network Of Peer-To-Peer Support
Energy Code Ambassadors are experienced building code officials who have been specially trained and certified on the energy code, and volunteer to offer their expertise and assistance to other code professionals in their state. They provide customized assistance to other code professionals or the construction and design industry. For example, in working with neighboring building departments, they provide an overview of the state energy code, assist with a plan review or site inspection, discuss ...
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Applying 2013 Energy Codes
Looking back at this year’s green projects, it seems architects should have placed greater concern on energy code compliance.By Dennis Hidalgo, LEED AP O+M
This article was originally posted in Green Home Builder.
Building energy codes mandate design and construction practices, materials, equipment, and systems that are intended to achieve minimum efficiency targets when buildings are initially constructed as well as when renovated. However, the process by which these codes are implemented...
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Engaging More Architects To Meet The Compliance Goal
by Seul Rhee
While many states have worked hard to adopt the 2009 or 2012 International Energy Conservation Code, implementation and compliance are sometimes overlooked. But that is changing. National, regional, and local focus is shifting to address meeting the 90 percent compliance goal set by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
Working with numerous state energy offices (22 states and counting) to investigate and assess a state’s existing energy code infrastructure, one ...
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Nebraska Energy Code Compliance Collaborative: A Case Study On An Emerging Best Practice
by Paul Karrer
In the wake of the Great Recession in 2009, Congress passed the Recovery Act to stimulate the national economy. Within that legislation, a pot of $3.1 billion in expanded State Energy Program (SEP) funding was linked to commitments from states to update their building energy codes and to develop plans to achieve greater rates of compliance by 2017.
By January 2014, BCAP projects that about two of every three U.S. states will have implemented building energy codes that meet o...
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New and Improved Energy Code Ambassador Program Launched In Ohio
In May 2013, eight code enforcement professionals from across Ohio were trained to become Energy Code Ambassadors for the state in a newly improved program offered by the Building Codes Assistance Project (BCAP) and the International Code Council (ICC). BCAP and ICC partnered with the Ohio Development Services Agency’s Office of Energy to launch the Ohio Energy Code Ambassador Program (ECAP) in coordination with the Ohio Board of Building Standards (BBS). With support from two utilities in the s...
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Compliance Collaboratives Convene To Share Lessons Learned
On August 22, BCAP hosted an information sharing webinar on an emerging best practice in building energy codes: state Energy Code Compliance Collaboratives. A compliance collaborative is a forum for experts from diverse stakeholder groups impacted by energy codes to come together to work toward common interests and goals. The collaborative is a long-term, multi-year initiative to assist its state in implementing a plan to achieve full compliance with energy codes.
The webinar featured progres...
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