Published by NRDC Expert Blog: The organization that administers the process for developing the national model building energy code for new homes and other buildings used by cities and towns nationwide has decided to make substantial changes to how it is created—abandoning a procedure driven by the votes of thousands of local governmental members who administer the code to one that relies on decision-making by a committee. This could have a substantial impact on the amount of energy efficiency required in future energy codes, which are a major tool in the fight against climate change.

As efficiency proponents, that gives us and others (including leading stakeholders like the American Institute of Architects, the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, the Institute for Market Transformation, and the New Buildings Institute) pause.

The New Buildings Institute, in partnership with NRDC, recently released a new Building Decarbonization Code that is an overlay to the 2021 IECC to achieve carbon neutral performance in both residential and commercial new buildings.

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