Real Progress on Improving the Efficiency of Building Energy Codes

by Isaac Elnecave and Donald Vigneau
Building Codes Project Managers

One of the most enduring frustrations with building energy codes is the slow pace at which energy efficiency improvements are added to them. Both of the two primary code setting organizations, the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) standards, traditionally improved the energy efficiency of their codes by about five percent in each edition. Since the codes are released every three years, this has resulted in the slow adoption of improvements. 

Recently, this situation has undergone significant change. ASHRAE publicly declared a goal of raising the energy efficiency of the energy standards for both commercial and residential buildings (ASHRAE 90.1 and ASHRAE 90.2, respectively). The organization aims to make its 2010 edition 30 percent more efficient than the 2004 edition. The Department of Energy has recently stated a public goal of raising the energy efficiency of the model national codes by 30 percent.  

Development of More Energy Efficient Commercial Codes and Standards

ASHRAE started the process of developing more energy efficient commercial codes. The recently completed Standard 90.1-2007 already contains several provisions that help pave the way to a more energy efficient code. It contains, for example, more stringent envelope and fenestration requirements as well as provisions mandating more energy-efficient commercial boilers. Together with the new 90.1 standard, two other standards have or will soon be developed that would result in commercial buildings that are 30 percent more efficient than the current model code:  the energy efficiency section of the ASHRAE 189 green building standards and the Core Performance Guide published by the New Buildings Institute.

Development of More Energy Efficient Residential Codes

Recently in an effort to promote a 30 percent improvement in the residential portion of the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). a new organization called the Energy Efficient Codes Coalition (EECC) was founded  The EECC focuses on pushing the International Code Council (ICC) to add new code provisions that would make the 2009 IECC 30 percent  more energy efficient than the 2006 IECC. NEEP is an active member of the EECC which coalition comprises a diverse group of businesses and organizations, including the Alliance to Save Energy, American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, North American Insulation Manufactures Association and Edison Electric Institute, as well as companies such as Cardinal Glass and Current Energy.  In preparation for the first step in the ICC code adoption process, the code hearings in Palm Springs this past February, the EECC did extensive computer modeling of its proposals to specifically answer the question of what measures were needed to achieve a 30 percent code improvement.  NEEP participated in this process and helped advance a group of historic code proposals that could lead to major energy savings in new buildings.

Activity at International Code Council Hearing

Every 18 months, the ICC holds a series of hearings to review, hear arguments and ultimately vote on proposals to amend the codes. The EECC submitted a package of measures to the ICC that included: raising insulation requirements for roofs, walls, basements; amending the U-factor requirements for windows; and improving leak testing protocols to lower building energy use. This work has borne fruit, as several of the following proposals were adopted by the committee:  

• More stringent window requirements for Maryland, Eastern Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey.
• More stringent basement insulation requirements throughout the Northeast.
• Changes that will help professionals using software packages design more efficient buildings.

The committee also approved other proposals focused on energy efficiency, submitted by other organizations, which will enhance energy conservation.

Approved Changes to the IECC Residential Provisions:  

• A slight improvement in insulation requirements for wood-frame walls.
• Requirements for determining the level of air leakage in a building.
• New requirements for programmable thermostats.
• New requirements for air handlers in residential furnaces.
• More stringent requirements on mechanical pipe insulation.
• New requirements for gas water heaters mandate the use of pilotless electronic ignition systems.
• Adds alternative method for determining compliance based on simulated energy performance.  A practitioner can now use either cost or source energy as a basis of
  compliance.

Approved Changes to the IECC Commercial Provisions:

• Amends envelope requirements to achieve greater stringency.
• Increases pipe insulation requirements in commercial buildings.
• Adds new requirements for the commissioning of commercial buildings.

All of the above came about through approvals of portions of the comprehensive package submitted by the EECC, and through other proposals that were supported by EECC at their respective hearings before the Committee. In addition, NEEP won approvals for four of its five proposed changes to clarify administrative code provisions and restore residential pool energy provisions where inadvertently lost in prior code changes.

The final status of these approved changes will only happen when and if ratified by the governmental, administrative and enforcement members of ICC in September. Any and all parties interested in preserving these gains should be communicating with local governments to send their local officials to the Final Action Hearings and support these significant gains.

State Activity

The District of Columbia, in response to legislation adopted in 2006 and finally plans to adopt both a commercial and residential code that exceed the model energy code by 30 percent. For commercial codes it plans to adopt the energy portion of ASHRAE 189 green building standards for commercial codes, while for the residential code it will use the set of code provisions proposed by the EECC  
Efforts to improve existing codes by 30 percent extend to the state level as well. The NEEP model code policy includes an “informative appendix,” as did the EECC proposals. This informative appendix (for both the residential and commercial codes) would represent a code designed to be 30 percent more energy efficient than the existing model building code (such as the IECC or ASHRAE 90.1). It would not be enforceable, but instead would provide a guide to building professionals on how to design and construct the most energy efficient buildings. An informative appendix would help develop incentives for green building policies by providing a baseline on which to award tax credits, develop ratepayer-based programs, and help state government develop standards for public buildings.

For more information, please contact Issac Elnecave or Don Vigneau.