More regional energy efficiency organizations are examining commercial construction data to gain insights into the commercial construction trends and the economic impact of building energy code adoption and implementation on the construction trends. Raw construction data on permits can provide valuable information especially when paired with volume and accuracy. Permit data helps understand the state of both current and future market. It helps understand what kind of impact newer state-level energy code adoption and implementation have on the market and communities at local and state-level.

In late 2014, the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance (SEEA), which serves eleven Southeast states, published their first in a series of white papers that analyzed the economic impact of building energy code adoption and implementation in the Southeast. Major findings of the report included rising numbers of commercial construction and renovation permits and “no evidence that energy codes adversely impact commercial construction activity.” SEEA also published two-page factsheets for each state summarizing their state-specific analysis. SEEA is currently working on the second report of the series.

The Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) recently completed their series of fact sheets which summarize commercial construction statistics in the Southwest, including Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming. The fact sheets provide a visual snapshot of new building and renovation activity in the $11.3 billion regional commercial construction industry. The analysis is broken down by state and the overall region. It also includes information on which counties in each state have the most construction activity, which types of commercial buildings are being constructed or renovated, project square footage, and other information.

Currently, the Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP) is also analyzing commercial construction data in the Northeast. This analysis will be included in a white paper detailing commercial and residential construction trends and the economic impacts of energy code implementation throughout NEEP’s 12 state region. This paper, which will be published this May, will include projections of energy and cost savings for states considering the implementation of the latest energy codes.

EDIT: NEEP’s white paper, Construction Codes in the Northeast: Myths and Realities of Energy Code Adoption and the Economic Effects, is now available here.