Program Highlights - July/August 2006

Welcome to the U.S. Department of Energy Building Energy Codes Program's monthly newsletter. This newsletter provides the latest information on our work to increase the energy efficiency of the nation's commercial and residential buildings.

2006 National Workshop on State Building Energy Codes
The 2006 National Workshop on State Building Energy Codes took place July 31 - August 3, 2006 in Denver, CO. This year's event reached an all time high of 258 architects, builders, code officials, energy code advocates, industry/trade associations, and model code organizations. The Workshop participants included attendees representing energy-related organizations in 35 states and territories. In addition, pre- and post-Workshop trainings totaled over 270 attendees. BECP staff participation included leading tracks, identifying speakers, providing training, and several technical presentations.

IECC Commercial Energy Code Training
On July 13, 2006, 1,227 people participated in the third of BECP's 3-Part 2006 IECC Commercial Energy Code Training series which focused on the Commercial Lighting Requirements of the 2006 IECC.

Online permitting features in REScheck and COMcheck
Over 6,000 electronic REScheck and COMcheck reports were submitted in FY06 using the new online permitting features in the software.

New REScheck version released for beta testing
REScheck with the 2006 IECC was release for beta testing to a wide test audience. This version includes support for the new energy code and equipment trade offs.

Web-tool use continues to grow
Over 15,000 registered users generate online reports from COMcheck and REScheck.

New AreaCalc features introduced
A prototype of new AreaCalc features in the web based tool was presented to attendees at the 2006 National Workshop.

New method for accessing information in web tools deployed
A new method (AJAX) for pulling the city/county information in the web tools was deployed to all the web-tools. This enhancement improves speed and performance of the project information page of the web-tools.

Home Energy Magazine, September/October 2006
Home Energy Magazine included the article Energy Conservation Code Decoded, authored by BECP's Todd Taylor and Pam Cole.

Lighting Design and Application
A recent article in the Energy Advisor section of Lighting Design and Application highlighted a session on the lighting energy code led by Eric Richman and Pam Cole.

Setting the Standard, June 2006
The printed version of the June 2006 issue of Setting the Standard, BECP's newsletter, was distributed to nearly 3,500 readers as well as to attendees of the National Workshop. This four-page edition covered lighting control requirements in national energy codes, the relationship between ASHREA Standard 90.1 and the IECC, LEED certification, online education opportunities with BECP, and upcoming events.

Positions on ICC code change proposals for the IECC and IRC developed
Recommended positions for DOE to take on ICC code change proposals for the IECC and IRC were developed by Bob Lucas, Todd Taylor, and Mark Halverson. Testimony at the upcoming code hearings will be given by Ron Majette of DOE.

Discussions held regarding Standard 90.1-2010 energy efficiency improvements
BECP staff participated in a number of discussions within various ASHRAE committees regarding ASHRAE's goal of 30% improvement in energy efficiency in Standard 90.1-2010 over Standard 90.1-2004. Staff involved include Eric Richman and Mark Halverson.

New training videos available
Two new 2006 IECC Commercial Requirements training videos were added to the BECP web site: Commercial Mechanical Requirements and Commercial Lighting Requirements.

AIA/ICC credit instructions added to webcast videos
Webcast videos were modified to include instructions on how to receive AIA/ICC credits and print a Certificate of Completion.

Website use strong during the summer
The number of website hits totaled 2,997,013 in July, and 2,725,339 in August. There has been a total of 34,045,688 hits for Fiscal Year 2006.

Technical support to users
PNNL continued to respond to issues received through the BECP help desk as 350 requests for assistance were responded to in July, and 294 in August.

International Code Council Code Development Hearings, September 20-30, 2006
The International Code Council (ICC) will hold its code development hearings for the 2006/2007 code development cycle. Staff from the Building Energy Codes Program will attend to support Ron Majette of DOE as he testifies for and against changes to the International Energy Conservation Code and International Residential Code.

ASHRAE Winter Meeting, January 26-29, 2007
The ASHRAE Winter Meeting is planned for January 26-29, 2007, in Dallas, Texas. Staff from the Building Energy Codes Program will attend to support the development of ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2007 and to work with ASHRAE on code related issues in ASHRAE's Code Interaction Subcommittee of Standards Committee.

June 2006 May 2006 April 2006