SierraScape April - May 2009
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by Becky Denney
Contributing Member
The building codes that affect energy efficiency are the energy conservation codes. It's important that credit go to our local building code officials for using the best available technology to oversee and ensure buildings are energy efficient. The building code officials are the people who voted at the September Minneapolis conference of the International Code Council (ICC) to adopt the new International Energy Conservation Codes (IECC) standards that have recently been published.
The newly adopted 2009 edition of the IECC (www.iccsafe.org/news/nr/2009/0128_2009IECC.html) is now the "national model energy code of choice for states, cities and counties that adopt codes." IECC residential and commercial procedures have been adopted as the official code in 39 states and Washington, DC. Missouri is not one of the 39 states. We do have a few municipalities who have adopted past versions of the IECC but most have not passed ordinances to update their energy codes for new residential and commercial buildings. These codes pertain to the building of new schools and hospitals as well as homes.
The US Dept of Energy (DOE) estimates that the 2009 IECC will bring about 15% energy efficiency gains compared to the 2006 edition. If Missouri builders use the new codes their buildings will use less energy, save owners and/or renters money on their fossil fuel consumption and should decrease our CO2 emissions from operations of those new buildings for the life of the building. The codes are zone or location specific. One improvement is in widow and skylights for homes built in warm humid or hot humid zones. Another improvement is an increase in insulation R-values for walls, floors and basements in cold climates which may be savings in both heating and cooling. There is a requirement for new homes to have high-efficiency light bulbs in at least 50% of the lighting. As you can tell these are minimum standards.
The Energy Efficiency Code Coalition (including the Sierra Club) (thirtypercentsolution.com/) worked for standards that would bring a gain of 30% energy efficiency but lost the vote in Minneapolis by only a small margin. Starting this April, 2009 the EECC will work toward IECC acceptance of additional energy savings in the 2010 supplement which will be adopted in May 2010.
A recent U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) ruling in the Federal register clears the way for the 2009 IECC to be a safe harbor equivalent to ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA 90.1 standard. Hey, don't panic! We can shorten this to ASHRAE 90.1 Standard 2007 and responsible builders will know what we are talking about. This is a good action by the DOE and is an effort to simplify standards since the ASHRAE 90.1 code has wide acceptance as a commercial building code. The 2009 IECC references ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2007 so this action means we have consistency across the board with one source for energy conservation codes and it is easier for builders to use the code, workers to be trained, and code officials to implement and enforce one energy conservation code across the U.S.
While our local code officials vote on the building codes that are published by the ICC, it's up to our state and local politicians to make them law and to enforce them. In fact, the stimulus package (ARRA HR 1) recently passed by Congress requires governors to certify their state will adopt an energy code for residential and multiple-family buildings that meets or exceeds the 2009 IECC before the states will quality for energy assistance grants.
Please ask Governor Nixon to support a statewide requirement for adoption of 2009 International Energy Conservation Code by commenting on this link at: transform.mo.gov/
For a specific list of talking points e-mail me at: Dardenney@sbcglobal.net For basic information on the Cool Codes campaign check out the article in the Dec-Jan SierraScape at missouri.sierraclub.org/emg/Sierrascape/S2008M12/04_code.html.