The Building Codes Assistance Project (BCAP) is a nonprofit advocacy organization that promotes the adoption, implementation and advancement of building energy codes on the state, local, and international levels.

With over twenty years of experience, BCAP has established itself as a trusted, non-partisan U.S. leader for energy code advocacy, research and analysis, technical support, training, and code status tracking. From its national platform, BCAP facilitates increased communication and collaboration between allies, identifies and navigates past policy and structural pitfalls, and helps state and local decision-makers design strategies to improve building energy efficiency.

Selected Projects

• Compliance Planning Assistance
  Since 2010, BCAP has worked with 22 states through the CPA Program to help them take practical steps towards achieving full compliance with the model energy codes. The CPA Program is divided into two phases:

  • Gap Analysis Report: Comprehensive document of the state’s existing energy code infrastructure that assesses the gaps between the state and its compliance goals, identifies best practices, and offer initial recommendations for improvement.
  • Strategic Compliance Plan: A targeted, state-specific road map with practical near- and long-term action items based on Gap Analysis recommendations to move the state towards full energy code compliance.

• Consumer Outreach Campaign
  Everyone has a right to a home that meets or exceeds national standards. That’s why BCAP teamed up with the Consumers Union—makers of Consumer Reports—to educate the public on the impact of home energy use, the role of energy codes in addressing home energy performance, and what you can do as a consumer to save energy—and money. BCAP has launched campaigns in several states and cities – to raise consumer awareness and support of energy codes. BCAP and Consumers Union created a national energy code checklist and guide, in addition to state-specific resources.For information on our Consumer’s campaign, please visit our Consumers Portal or visit the Consumers Union Build Better, Live Better campaign.

• Incremental Cost Analysis
  One of the major barriers to energy code adoption is the concern that the cost of upgrading homes to comply with the latest model energy code would be prohibitive. To address this issue for policymakers and the building community, BCAP completed a nationwide incremental cost analysis (as well as on demand studies for states and cities). Each report and accompanying handout provides a clear, conservative estimate of the added upfront construction costs, the monthly energy bill savings, and long-term homeowner profit from the energy code upgrade specific to each state and city studied.

• Energy Code Ambassador Program
  BCAP and the International Code Council (ICC) created this initiative to empower existing code professionals so they may develop their familiarity and expertise with energy codes and share their knowledge throughout their jurisdiction and state.