By William D. Fay, Executive Director, Energy Efficient Codes Coalition

With hard-fought efficiency gains at stake, the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) voted unanimously to encourage municipal support for all eligible code officials to attend the ICC’s Final Action Hearings this October in Atlantic City to support continued efficiency gains for America’s model energy code, the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). The local and state code and other officials voting at the hearings will consider amendments to the 2012 IECC that will become the 2015 IECC. The IECC is recognized in federal law as America’s model energy code and is adopted in some form by nearly every state.

Specifically, the mayors’ resolution endorses the adoption of the Energy Efficient Codes Coalition proposal – called “Builder Flex Beyond the 2012” – and opposes the adoption of proposals that backslide from the 2012 IECC’s stringency. Several backsliding proposals were recommended for inclusion in the 2015 IECC at a hearing this spring, including one that could wipe out nearly all of the 30% efficiency gains by reinstating a builder loophole that would allow them to build homes with weaker thermal envelopes.

In support of mayoral support for continued building energy efficiency gains, the resolution finds that:

• Homes and commercial buildings are America’s largest energy consuming sector
• US DOE determined that the 2012 IECC reduces an average home’s energy costs by 32.1% and “generates life-cycle savings for homeowners averaging from $4,763 to $33,105”
• Continued gains from building energy efficiency and appliance standards can eliminate the need for new power plant construction through 2025, and
• 9 out of 10 homebuyers answering a National Association of Homebuilders survey said they would pay 2-3% more to buy a home “with energy-efficient features and permanently lower utility bills”

The USCM represents more than 1,300 mayors across the nation. Click here to view a pdf of the USCM resolution.