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State Compliance Evaluation Procedures

The Department of Energy's (DOE's) Building Energy Codes Program (BECP) has developed procedures and tools to help states and jurisdictions measure and report compliance with building energy codes. Several drafts of proposed methodologies were shared with stakeholders from whom feedback was requested, received, and incorporated into the attached resulting document: Measuring State Energy Code Compliance.

This document contains the following information by section:

• The equivalency of several commonly adopted energy codes and standards
• Annual code compliance measurement alternatives
• State strategies for personnel, funding, and oversight with regard to code compliance efforts
• A methodology for conducting a formal compliance evaluation
• Use of the compliance checklists BECP developed and recommends for conducting evaluations.

A Step-By-Step Companion Guide is also available for a quick summarization of these recommended procedures.

Additional materials are available that will assist states in their code enforcement efforts, including:

Compliance Checklists

• Compliance checklists recommended for conducting onsite building evaluations

Web Tools

• An online State Sample Generator tool that generates random building samples within a state
• The Checklist Score and Store online tool is available to states for storing building evaluation data collected in the field. The individual building data will be scored for compliance, and state scores will be generated based on the guidelines explained in Measuring State Energy Code Compliance. State, regional, and national metrics and summaries will be generated from the tool. Although accounts are required for entering permanent data, anyone can view the application using a 'Demo' account (see the link below the password entry field).

Communicating with Jursidictions

• Sample survey questions directed at the building jurisdictions and an online State Energy Code Jurisdictional Survey for administering such surveys
• A jurisdictional flier and jurisdictional letter, either of which can be customized by states and used to inform local jurisdictions about this activity, solicit their cooperation, and advise them of what to expect.

Training

• A webcast – 90 Percent Compliance – providing guidance to states interested in implementing an energy code compliance study in their state was conducted on August 17, 2010. The webcast provided guidance for partnering with local jurisdictions, described the BECP procedures, and demonstrated the tools available to help implement those procedures.

Webcast Video ; (1 hour, 40 minutes)
Video Transcript
Video Presentation

• Training materials for evaluators tasked with measuring energy code compliance. The training materials provide step-by-step instructions for using the BECP checklists to conduct both residential and commercial building evaluations.

Pilot Studies

Over the past year, BECP and the five national energy efficiency partnerships (EEPs) funded nine energy code compliance evaluation pilot studies in eight states designed to measure code compliance based on these procedures and tools. Information about these studies and other state compliance measurement activities can found on the State Compliance Activities map. Reports describing previous state, regional, and national studies can be found on the Energy Codes and Compliance Studies page.

Contact

Questions and feedback is welcome.
Email: linda.connell@pnnl.gov