Energy Code Development Begins: Focus on Residential

Published by NRDC: Code officials, builders, energy efficiency advocates, and others weighed in this month on proposals to update the next model building energy code. NRDC and many others submitted proposals to the International Code Council back in January, offering a variety of ideas for modifying the energy code. This blog focuses on residential codes and the involvement of NRDC. New Buildings Institute collaborated with NRDC on an innovative proposal to create a new, optional appendix for local code adoption that would result in residential buildings which, over the course of a year, would produce as much energy as they consume. This would be achieved through a mix of aggressive, yet achievable, levels of energy efficiency combined with renewable energy like rooftop solar panels. While this proposal had robust support from the efficiency community, code officials, the solar industry, manufacturers, and others, it failed the committee by one vote.