http://www.energycodes.gov News about energy code implementation and support. Copyright 2005 US DOE Building Energy Codes Program RSS Generator 2.0 Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:00:00 PST The International Code Council and American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers have published a new book that includes both the 2009 IECC and ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2007. The new book was created as a result of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provisions requiring adoption of the most advanced energy codes and standards, with a goal of achieving 90 percent compliance with both within eight years. http://www.energycodes.gov/news/items/061709_icc_and_ashrae.stm http://www.energycodes.gov/news/items/061709_icc_and_ashrae.stm Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:50:00 PST Dr. Steven Chu, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy and the co-winner of the 1997 Nobel Prize for Physics gave a lecture entitled "The energy problem and the interplay between basic and applied research"on May 12, 2009 at MIT. A link to this lecture was recently posted on the www.energycodes.gov website. http://techtv.mit.edu/videos/2817-dr-steven-chu-us-secretary-of-energy---compton-lecture http://techtv.mit.edu/videos/2817-dr-steven-chu-us-secretary-of-energy---compton-lecture Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:40:00 PST Nominations are now being accepted for the 2009 Jeffrey A. Johnson Award for Excellence in the Advancement of Building Energy Codes and Performance. This award recognizes a leader or a team in the United States (US Territories included) for sustained service of the highest caliber in the pursuit of energy efficiency goals. http://www.energycodes.gov/jaj/jajohnson_award_09.stm http://www.energycodes.gov/jaj/jajohnson_award_09.stm Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:30:00 PST This 60-minute live webcast, sponsored by DOE will include an overview of the residential requirements of the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code. The presentation will be followed by a live 30-minute QandA session. Registration is now open. http://www.energycodes.gov/training/onlinetraining/residential2009IECC.stm http://www.energycodes.gov/training/onlinetraining/residential2009IECC.stm Mon, 2 Jun 2009 14:50:00 PST The U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce has approved a comprehensive clean energy bill that addresses promotion of renewable energy sources, improving energy efficiency across all economic sectors, controlling greenhouse gas emissions, enhancing America's energy independence, and creating green jobs. The American Clean Energy and Security Act--widely supported across the community of energy stakeholders--was passed by a vote of 33-25. Among its provisions is an aggressive policy for strengthening and nationwide implementation of building energy codes. http://www.energycodes.gov/news/items/060209_cleanenergy.stm http://www.energycodes.gov/news/items/0602109_cleanenergy.stm Mon, 2 Jun 2009 14:40:00 PST If passed, a new bill in North Carolina will require adoption of the most stringent building energy codes and standards by January of next year. The requirement would make the 2009 IECC the minimum standard for both commercial and residential new construction. http://www.energycodes.gov/news/items/060209_northcarolina_iecc.stm http://www.energycodes.gov/news/items/0602109_northcarolina_iecc.stm Mon, 2 Jun 2009 14:30:00 PST A proposed Nevada bill, which would have required statewide adoption of the most stringent national model energy codes and standards--the 2009 IECC and ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2007--has been amended to remove energy code adoption language. The amended bill was signed into law on May 30. http://www.energycodes.gov/news/items/060209_nevada.stm http://www.energycodes.gov/news/items/0602109_nevada.stm Mon, 2 Jun 2009 14:20:00 PST A public comment period has opened on proposed revisions to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's residential Energy Star guidelines. Referred to as Energy Star 2011, the guidelines include several new requirements which focus on installation of high-efficiency equipment and give precedence to state energy codes when the state code is more stringent than Energy Star, among other proposed changes. http://www.energycodes.gov/news/items/060109_energystar.stm http://www.energycodes.gov/news/items/060109_energystar.stm Mon, 1 Jun 2009 14:40:00 PST A new guide has been published which breaks down the various programs and funding opportunities being made possible through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding slated for the energy sector. Included is funding for energy efficiency grants, smart grid funding, transportation funding, and clean energy tax incentives. http://www.energycodes.gov/news/items/060109_simplify.stm http://www.energycodes.gov/news/items/060109_simplify.stm Mon, 1 Jun 2009 14:30:00 PST A new bill is awaiting approval by the North Carolina Senate Committee on Commerce. The bill would create a Residential Building Code Council and North Carolina Residential Building Code. http://www.energycodes.gov/news/items/060109_north_carolina.stm http://www.energycodes.gov/news/items/060109_north_carolina.stm Mon, 1 Jun 2009 14:20:00 PST U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu recently joined several world leaders in forming an international partnership in the interest of improving energy savings and efficiency around the world. The building sector is one of the most significant contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, and will be primary among the group's selected tasks. http://www.energycodes.gov/news/items/060109_eecoop.stm http://www.energycodes.gov/news/items/060109_eecoop.stm Mon, 1 Jun 2009 14:10:00 PST REScheck version 4.2.2 updates the Wisconsin state code to be based on 2006 IECC with amendments relevant to the Wisconsin Uniform Dwelling Code. This version has a weather location mapping for Nederland, CO to be similar to Grand Lake, CO. http://www.energycodes.gov/rescheck/download.stm http://www.energycodes.gov/rescheck/download.stm Mon, 18 May 2009 14:50:00 PST COMcheck version 3.6.1 removes Massachusetts as a customized state code and redirects users to the 2006 IECC code to show compliance in Massachusetts locations. Projects located in Chicago, IL are redirected to comply with 2006 IECC as well. The mechanical system inputs have been extensively redesigned so that numeric inputs are specified. A modification to the calculations that consider projection factors credit under the 2004 and 2006 IECC codes were made to control an overcounting of their influence. http://www.energycodes.gov/comcheck/ez_download.stm http://www.energycodes.gov/comcheck/ez_download.stm Mon, 18 May 2009 14:40:00 PST The April 2009 publication of the Setting the Standard Newsletter is now available. http://www.energycodes.gov/news/ http://www.energycodes.gov/news/ Mon, 18 May 2009 14:30:00 PST New Jersey will now receive over $75 million more for energy efficiency and conservation efforts under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, bringing its grand total to over $192 million. Meanwhile, states including New York, Rhode Island, and South Carolina are updating their building energy codes to help qualify them for ARRA funding. http://www.energycodes.gov/news/items/051809_newjersey.stm http://www.energycodes.gov/news/items/051809_newjersey.stm Mon, 18 May 2009 13:50:00 PST A new research report forecasts huge opportunity in the commercial retrofit market, estimating a value of $400 billion over the next several years. Although the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will provide significant funding for retrofitting Federal buildings, the commercial building market is huge and represents substantial opportunity to impact energy efficiency. http://www.energycodes.gov/news/items/051809_retrofit.stm http://www.energycodes.gov/news/items/051809_retrofit.stm Mon, 18 May 2009 13:40:00 PST ASHRAE members are invited to apply for a fellowship with the Department of Energy's Building Energy Codes Program. The fellowship is sponsored by ASHRAE, will last 12-18 months and will involve assisting with energy code deployment and compliance efforts. http://www.energycodes.gov/news/items/051809_ashrae_fellowship.stm http://www.energycodes.gov/news/items/051809_ashrae_fellowship.stm Mon, 18 May 2009 13:30:00 PST The nation's first green building standard began its third public review this month, with a new and improved draft that represents increased energy savings over the previous draft, as well as over ASHRAE Standard 90.1. The comment period ends June 15. http://www.energycodes.gov/news/items/051809_standard189.stm http://www.energycodes.gov/news/items/051809_standard189.stm Mon, 18 May 2009 13:20:00 PST New bills from the Washington state legislature will require homes and buildings to consume 70 percent less annual aggregate energy under 2031 state building energy codes than under the 2006 state codes. In developing a path toward achieving the goal, the state building code council will consider adopting the IECC in place of the existing state codes. http://www.energycodes.gov/news/items/042309_washington.stm http://www.energycodes.gov/news/items/042309_washington.stm Thurs, 23 Apr 2009 14:50:00 PST The Obama Administration recently announced plans to invest $3.2 billion in stimulus funds to support the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program, which will provide grants to cities, counties, states, territories, and tribes for energy conservation projects. The funds will pay for energy audits, building retrofits, and development and implementation of more stringent building codes, among other activities. http://www.energycodes.gov/news/items/042309_local_energy.stm http://www.energycodes.gov/news/items/042309_local_energy.stm Thurs, 23 Apr 2009 14:40:00 PST A new bill aimed at tackling global warming was recently unveiled by two senior House Democrats. In places more ambitious than Obama's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the draft bill includes more significant reduction of heat-trapping gas emissions by 2020 and major increases in building energy efficiency among its requirements. http://www.energycodes.gov/news/items/042309_global_warming.stm http://www.energycodes.gov/news/items/042309_global_warming.stm Thurs, 23 Apr 2009 14:30:00 PST High-tech energy conservation projects are receiving lots of attention, and stimulus dollars, but Energy Secretary Steven Chu says low-tech solutions such as insulation and lighting controls will save the most energy over the next 20 years. An April 1st Building Design and Construction article claims that energy performance labeling is the best way to let building owners know how efficient their buildings are, and will help determine how to get the best bang for the efficiency improvement buck. http://www.energycodes.gov/news/items/042309_labeling.stm http://www.energycodes.gov/news/items/042309_labeling.stm Thurs, 23 Apr 2009 14:20:00 PST Within the past several weeks, a handful of states have passed bills requiring statewide adoption of more stringent building energy codes and standards. As part of the requirements, a few of these states will either adopt the 2009 IECC for residential buildings and ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2007 for commercial buildings, or will require adoption of an equally stringent statewide building energy code. http://www.energycodes.gov/news/items/042309_states_advancing.stm http://www.energycodes.gov/news/items/042309_states_advancing.stm Thurs, 23 Apr 2009 14:10:00 PST According to a recent New York Times article, $20 million in retrofit projects are expected to cut the Empire State Building's energy use nearly 40 percent within the next four years. The projects, which are being added to a building renovation already underway, will show how older buildings can be retrofitted to the most stringent energy codes and standards and significantly reduce their carbon footprint. http://www.energycodes.gov/news/items/042309_empire_state.stm http://www.energycodes.gov/news/items/042309_empire_state.stm Thurs, 23 Apr 2009 14:00:00 PST DOE officially launched its Commercial Real Estate Energy Alliance following a recent meeting with top executives from 19 commercial real estate companies in New York. The collaboration will seek to reduce energy consumption in commercial real estate buildings nationwide by speeding the sector's adoption of high-performance buildings and creating linkages between building owners and operators and DOE's National Laboratories. http://www.energycodes.gov/news/items/042309_alliance.stm http://www.energycodes.gov/news/items/042309_alliance.stm Thurs, 23 Apr 2009 13:50:00 PST A new Act in Arkansas puts more stringent requirements on buildings owned by public agencies and institutions of higher education. Among the law's requirements is a stipulation that such new buildings, or major renovations, must be designed, built, and certified according to ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2007, with mandatory consequences for those which fail to do so. http://www.energycodes.gov/news/items/042309_arkansas.stm http://www.energycodes.gov/news/items/042309_arkansas.stm Thurs, 23 Apr 2009 13:40:00 PST Energy Codes 2009 will be held at the Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront on July 27-30, 2009 in Portland, Oregon. Registration is Now Open! http://www.energycodes.gov/news/ecodes2009/index.stm http://www.energycodes.gov/news/ecodes2009/index.stm Thurs, 23 Apr 2009 13:00:00 PST The Building Energy Codes Program posted their FY 2008 annual report which highlights the work they have done with other government agencies, state and local jurisdictions, national code organizations, and industries to promote, implement, and enforce stronger building energy codes on their website. The brochure is available at: http://www.energycodes.gov/whatwedo/pdfs/BECP_FY08_Accomplishments.pdf. http://www.energycodes.gov/whatwedo/index.stm http://www.energycodes.gov/whatwedo/index.stm Thurs, 9 Apr 2009 14:50:00 PST The U.S. Department of Energy's Building Energy Codes Program regularly updates its online Calendar of Events to inform the codes community about upcoming events and training opportunities of interest. Visitors to the website are also encouraged to add their own events. http://www.energycodes.gov/news/items/calendar_upcoming.stm http://www.energycodes.gov/news/items/calendar_upcoming.stm Thurs, 20 Nov 2008 14:50:00 PST The U.S. Department of Energy's Building Energy Codes Program prepare bimonthly highlights that provide the latest information on BECP's work to increase the energy efficiency of the nation's commercial and residential buildings. The August/September 2008 issue include an update on DOE's 30% Residential and Commercial Codes Initiatives. http://www.energycodes.gov/whatwedo/highlights.stm http://www.energycodes.gov/whatwedo/highlights.stm Mon, 3 Nov 2008 14:00:00 PST