Building Energy Codes News

The California Building Standards Commission announced today the adoption of the 2013 California Building Standards Code. The adoption of the 2013 code comes after a comprehensive multi-state agency and stakeholder update of the 2010 building codes.

NEEP's 2012 update to its Model Progressive Building Energy Codes Policy, which was originally published in March 2009, provides a set of updated, interconnected recommendations aimed at ensuring that states throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region adopt and achieve compliance with progressively more efficient building energy codes as a means of achieving large scale energy and GHG emissions savings.

Parker became a national energy exemplar under the stewardship of one inspired building official.

The new version of the standard includes several important changes including: Energy Code Update -- While the original ICC 700 used the 2006 version of the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) as a basis, the new version will use the 2009 IECC. The requirements of the 2009 IECC are estimated to result in energy efficient performance that is about 15 percent higher than the previous 2006 code.

Building energy codes offer an attractive energy savings opportunity for utility efficiency programs, particularly now that there are new approaches to quantify the savings from code compliance efforts, according to Building Energy Code Advancement through Utility Support and Engagement, a new report issued today by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE).