Publications

The Nebraska Energy Office (NEO) commissioned Britt/Makela Group, Inc. (BMG) to assess compliance with the commercial provisions of the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). The goals of the project were to: 

• Assess compliance rates for projects that represented typical commercial construction in Nebraska 
• Collect information on energy code compliance issues that could be used to establish a framework for future energy code implementation programs in the state.

This report provides the results and methodologies for the 2010-2011 Iowa Energy Code Pilot Study that was conducted by the Iowa Department of Public Safety, division of State Fire Marshal, State Building Code Bureau. This study was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy with support from Pacific Northwest National Laboratories – Building Energy Codes Project and the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (MEEA). Preliminary work on the study began in May of 2010. A contract with MEEA was signed in October 2010 with work commencing on the study in January 2011. The primary goal of the study was to determine the rate of compliance with the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code throughout the state of Iowa. Secondary goals of the study were to determine average energy code inspection durations, provide training to local code officials and builders participating in the study, and to determine areas of improvement.

The goals of this study were threefold: 1) Provide feedback to the BECP on the implementation of the BECP protocol 2) Develop a preliminary pattern/range of the existing compliance rates of newly constructed residential dwellings and commercial buildings based on jurisdictions in Illinois that have adopted the building energy codes and 3) Identify areas where home performance and codes training and education activities could be improved or refocused. Measurements of a small sample set (10) of commercial buildings were also taken. Due to the insignificance sample size, a commercial compliance rate is not reported here.

Project Goal: Assess and record energy code compliance of buildings currently under construction, following the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) processes, in compliance with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), and identify procedural changes in code enforcement and training needed to improve compliance rates.

This study was conducted to estimate as-built energy use characteristics for homes that were not part of the Energy Efficiency Fund New Construction Program (RNC) as a baseline for the RNC Program. Resulting information will be applied to estimation of the net effects of the RNC Program on efficiency improvements. Additionally, these results are used to establish preliminary estimates of User Defined Reference Home (UDRH) inputs to be used as baseline characteristics against which construction within the RNC Program can be compared. Findings are based on the results of on-site inspections, including Home Energy Rating System (HERS) ratings, of 69 homes that were not part of the RNC program, were completed from November 2009 through July 2011, and whose owners agreed to have their home inspected.

Summary of the findings of the 2003 Residential New Construction Baseline Study conducted by Itron, Inc. under Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) management.1 KEMA-Xenergy conducted the on-site surveys. The RNC baseline study investigates energy efficiency in newly constructed single family homes throughout California. The study’s primary purpose is to provide information to residential new construction (RNC) program managers across the state, thereby allowing them to assess and address the effect of recent energy code changes on these programs.

A research project in the state of Tennessee identified opportunities to reduce homeowner utility bills in residential single-family new construction by increasing compliance with the state energy code.  The study was initiated in September 2017 and continued through July 2018.  Analysis of the data has led to a better understanding of the energy features present in homes and indicates over $2.5 million in potential annual savings to Tennessee homeowners that could result from increased code compliance.

A research project in the state of Oregon identified opportunities to reduce homeowner utility bills in residential single-family new construction by increasing compliance with the state energy code. The study was initiated in November 2019; data collection began in November 2019 and continued through February 2020. Analysis of the data has led to a better understanding of the energy features present in homes and identified over $600,000 in potential annual savings to Oregon homeowners that could result from increased compliance with the 2017 Oregon Residential Specialty Code (2017 ORSC).

A research project in the Commonwealth of Virginia identified opportunities to reduce homeowner utility bills in residential single-family new construction by increasing compliance with the state energy code. The study was initiated in August 2017 and continued through May 2018. During this period, research teams visited 138 homes during various stages of construction, resulting in a substantial data set based on observations made directly in the field.

A research project in the state of Texas identified opportunities to reduce homeowner utility bills in residential single-family new construction by increasing compliance with the state energy code. The study was initiated in October 2014; data collection began in March 2015, and continued through October 2015. During this period, research teams visited 133 homes in 30 counties in and around Houston during various stages of construction, resulting in a substantial data set based on observations made directly in the field.

A research project in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania identified opportunities to reduce homeowner utility bills in residential single-family new construction by increasing compliance with the state energy code. The study was initiated in October 2014 and continued through July 2015. During this period, research teams visited 171 homes during various stages of construction, resulting in a substantial data set based on observations made directly in the field.

A research project in the State of North Carolina identified opportunities to reduce homeowner utility bills in residential single-family new construction by increasing compliance with the state energy code. The study was initiated in January 2015 and continued through September 2015. During this period, research teams visited 249 homes during various stages of construction, resulting in a substantial data set based on observations made directly in the field.

In early 2017, the Nebraska Energy Office expressed interest in evaluating the construction of new single-family homes in Nebraska using the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) low-rise residential evaluation methodology.1 As part of that methodology, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) was directed by DOE to analyze the data collected in Nebraska. This memorandum provides and discusses the results of PNNL’s analysis.

A research project in the state of Montana identified opportunities to reduce homeowner utility bills in residential single-family new construction by increasing compliance with the state energy code. The study was initiated in May 2018; data collection began in June 2018 and continued through September 2018. During this period, the project team visited 125 homes at various stages of construction, resulting in a data set based on observations made directly in the field.

A research project in the state of Maryland investigated energy code-related aspects of residential single-family new construction. The study was initiated in January 2015 and continued through July 2015. During this period, research teams visited 207 homes during various stages of construction, resulting in a substantial data set based on observations made directly in the field.

A research project in the Commonwealth of Kentucky identified opportunities to reduce homeowner utility bills in residential single-family new construction by increasing compliance with the state energy code. The study was initiated in April 2015 and continued through August 2015. During this period, research teams visited 140 homes during various stages of construction, resulting in a substantial data set based on observations made directly in the field.

A research project in the state of Idaho identified opportunities to reduce homeowner energy costs in residential single-family new construction by increasing compliance with the current state energy code. The study was initiated in January 2018; data collection began in March 2018 and continued through June 2018. During this period, research teams visited 127 homes during various stages of construction, resulting in a collection of data based on observations made directly in the field.

A research project in the State of Georgia investigated the energy code-related aspects of unoccupied, newly constructed, single family homes across the state. The study followed a DOE-prescribed methodology, which allowed the project team to build an empirical data set based on observations made directly in the field.

A research project in the State of Arkansas investigated the energy code-related aspects of unoccupied, newly constructed, single family homes across the state. The study followed a DOE-prescribed methodology, which allowed the project team to build an empirical data set based on observations made directly in the field.

A research project in the state of Alabama identified opportunities to reduce homeowner utility bills in residential single-family new construction by increasing compliance with the state energy code. The study was initiated in March 2014, and continued through May 2014. During this period, research teams visited 134 homes during various stages of construction, resulting in a substantial data set based on observations made directly in the field.