building-code

They may be. The International Code Council, which establishes model codes for, among other things, energy conservation, has its next meeting in September of this year. The Alliance to Save Energy hopes to convince the ICC to change the modelbuilding code to reduce residential energy use by 30 percent. Branded “the 30 percent solution,” ICC members will have an opportunity to vote on a slate of code changes as well as consider the changes individually if the package doesn’t pass. The Alliance has put together an Energy Efficient Codes Coalition which includes a number of industry and environmental groups. They are hoping to pack the hall with enough members to push the changes through.

Building energy use makes up about 40% of total U.S. energy consumption, so making residential building codes more energy efficient is good place to start. In addition, making buildings more energy efficient, while costing more up front, pays back big dividends over the life of the building. While some groups like the National Association of Home Builders have not supported this measure because it believes that most of the measures would not be paid back within 10 years, one study by the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory found that a 30% increase from ICC’s 2003 model codes would result in annual savings of $723 on utility bills with $4,000 in upfront costs.

If this passes, residential buildings may not only become greener, they will likely become cheaper to operate. That’s a “win-win” in our book.