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Nebraska Commercial Energy Code Compliance Report for the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code

Document Type: Field Study, State-specific
Publication Date:

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.

Iowa Energy Code Evaluation Pilot Study

Document Type: Field Study, State-specific
Publication Date:

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.

Measuring the Baseline Compliance Rate for Residential and Non-Residential Buildings in Illinois Against the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code

Document Type: Field Study, State-specific
Publication Date:

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.

Energy Code Compliance in Minnesota 2012/2013: Baseline for ARRA Compliance

Document Type: Field Study, State-specific
Publication Date:

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.

Connecticut 2011 Baseline Study of Single-Family Residential New Construction

Document Type: Field Study, State-specific
Publication Date:

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.

Residential New Construction Baseline Study of Building Characteristics Homes Built After 2001 Codes

Document Type: Field Study, State-specific
Publication Date:

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.

Energy Performance Evaluation of New Homes in Arkansas

Document Type: State-specific
Publication Date:

From August 1997 to September 1999, one hundred new Arkansas homes were evaluated in two areas in the state where there was significant building activity in order to determine the energy performance of current building practices. One of the positive findings was that homes are now being built significantly tighter than a few years ago. Homes built in the early to in.id 1990's were experiencing an average of 0.5 natural air changes per hour (NACH), an acceptable level considered normal for new construction Only 24 homes in this evaluation had leakage rates exceeding 0.4 NACH; the majority of homes (58 percent) had leakage rates of 0.35 and under.

Residential Building Energy Code Field Study Data Collection and Analysis Methodology

Document Type: Analysis, Field Study
Publication Date:

This document presents a methodology for assessing baseline energy efficiency in new single-family residential buildings and quantifying related savings potential.

Residential Energy Code Field Studies: Assessing Implementation in Seven States

Document Number: PNNL-31216
Document Type: Analysis, Field Study
Publication Date:

Beginning in 2014, the U.S. Department Energy (DOE) funded a series of multi-year residential energy code field studies to explore energy savings opportunities from enhanced code compliance. This report presents the final results across the three phases to assess whether the education and training activities successfully improved code compliance to achieve significant changes in energy use.

Texas Residential Energy Code Field Study - Phase III

Document Number: PNNL-31137
Document Type: Field Study
Publication Date:

The purpose of this report is to document findings and final results from the Texas field study, including a summary of key trends observed in the field, their impact on energy efficiency, and whether the selected education and training activities resulted in a measurable change in statewide energy use.

Pennsylvania Residential Energy Code Field Study - Phase III

Document Number: PNNL-32635
Document Type: Field Study
Publication Date:

The purpose of this report is to document findings and final results from the Pennsylvania field study, including a summary of key trends observed in the field, their impact on energy efficiency, and whether the selected education and training activities resulted in a measurable change in statewide energy use.

North Carolina Residential Energy Code Field Study - Phase III

Document Number: PNNL-31309
Document Type: Field Study
Publication Date:

The purpose of this report is to document findings and final results from the North Carolina field study, including a summary of key trends observed in the field, their impact on energy efficiency, and whether the selected education and training activities resulted in a measurable change in statewide energy use.

 

Maryland Residential Energy Code Field Study - Phase III

Document Number: PNNL-30210
Document Type: Field Study
Publication Date:

The purpose of this report is to document findings and final results from the Maryland field study, including a summary of key trends observed in the field, their impact on energy efficiency, and whether the selected education and training activities resulted in a measurable change in statewide energy use.

Kentucky Residential Energy Code Field Study - Phase III

Document Number: PNNL-30286
Document Type: Field Study
Publication Date:

The purpose of this report is to document findings and final results from the Kentucky field study, including a summary of key trends observed in the field, their impact on energy efficiency, and whether the selected education and training activities resulted in a measurable change in statewide energy use.

Georgia Residential Energy Code Field Study - Phase III

Document Number: PNNL-30928
Document Type: Field Study
Publication Date:

The purpose of this report is to document findings and final results from the Georgia field study, including a summary of key trends observed in the field, their impact on energy efficiency, and whether the selected education and training activities resulted in a measurable change in statewide energy use.

 

Alabama Residential Energy Code Field Study - Phase III

Document Number: PNNL-30857
Document Type: Field Study
Publication Date:

The purpose of this report is to document findings and final results from the Alabama field study, including a summary of key trends observed in the field, their impact on energy efficiency, and whether the selected education and training activities resulted in a measurable change in statewide energy use.

NECC 2022: REScheck Basics

Document Type: Presentation Slides
Publication Date:

2022 NECC Presentation

Demand Response - Tech Brief Fact Sheet

Document Type: Compliance Tool, Fact Sheets
Publication Date:

Summary of the full technical brief which provides requirements for demand-responsive thermostats and water heaters that could be incorporated into model residential energy codes. It provides background on the benefits of these devices, impacts on the cost of construction, and model code language that can be plugged into the IECC or adapted into other energy codes.

NECC 2021: REScheck Basics

Document Type: Presentation Slides
Publication Date:

2021 NECC Presentation

Energy Code Field Studies: Low-Rise Multifamily Air Leakage Testing

Document Type: Field Study, Reports and Studies
Publication Date:

Described separately from the U.S. DOE Multifamily Residential Energy Efficiency Field Study, this report is a simultaneous study of building air tightness occurred using several of the main study buildings and additional sites that met the building type criteria. Overall, 26 sites were evaluated this way using semi-automated testing equipment (blower doors).
 

Residential Building Energy Efficiency Field Studies: Low-Rise Multifamily

Document Type: Field Study, Reports and Studies
Publication Date:

Final report of the U.S. DOE Multifamily Residential Energy Efficiency Field Study to validate the impact of building energy codes in low-rise multifamily buildings and identify opportunities for increased energy that can be addressed through workforce education & training programs. Results include both characteristics summaries (by state) and an analysis of the opportunities associated with increased code compliance on building energy use in the different climate zones. As well, the process of collecting and processing building data so that these estimates can be prepared is described in detail, with the intent that others could employ this process in future studies. This report also includes a market research component that describes interviews with key actors in the multifamily sector (building designers, developers, and builders) that focuses on various aspects of the code, including specific code details relevant to code education and training, and overall energy performance.

Low-Rise Multifamily Field Study Data

Document Type: Field Study, Reports and Studies
Publication Date:

Field study data supporting the U.S. DOE Multifamily Residential Energy Efficiency Field Study to validate the impact of building energy codes in low-rise multifamily buildings and identify opportunities for increased energy that can be addressed through workforce education & training programs. This zip file contains individual documents listed below)

  • Data Dictionary
  • Entity Relationship Diagram
  • Generic Read Me
  • Illinois Summary Dataset
  • Minnesota Summary Dataset
  • Oregon Summary Dataset
  • Washington Summary Dataset

Single-family Residential Field Study: Phase III Data and Findings

Document Type: Field Study, Presentation Slides, Reports and Studies
Publication Date:

Presentation slides from the 2019 National Energy Codes Conference that provided an overview of the U.S. Department of Energy Building Energy Codes residential field study Phase III data collection and findings.

Tennessee Residential Energy Code Field Study

Document Number: PNNL-31125
Document Type: Field Study, State-specific
Publication Date:

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.

Oregon Residential Energy Code Field Study

Document Number: PNNL-30006
Document Type: Field Study, Reports and Studies, State-specific
Publication Date:

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).