Gulf Coast Energy Savings Impacts

In response to a request from the Government Accountability Office to DOE, BECP evaluated the potential energy savings in the Gulf Coast states, Louisiana and Mississippi, should they adopt newer energy codes prior to Gulf Coast reconstruction.

BECP examined an assortment of code options for these states, including above-code options such as Energy Star homes. Note that to estimate residential energy savings, the area affected by Hurricane Katrina was evaluated as represented by the New Orleans climate.

Full details of the evaluation are available in two reports: one commercial (PDF 833 KB) and one residential (PDF 99 KB). In general, newer energy codes are more energy efficient. Adopting new energy codes leads to energy savings for individual home owners, for business owners, and at the state level.

The June 2007 U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) Report titled ENERGY EFFICIENCY—Important Challenges Must Be Overcome to Realize Significant Opportunities for Energy Efficiency Improvements in Gulf Coast Reconstruction is also available from the GAO website (PDF 538 KB).