US building codes need a major retrofit to meet climate goals and spare consumers

Published by Smart Cities Dive: The International Code Council, which rolled back local governments’ say in energy efficiency regs for buildings, needs to adapt to the times or step aside, writes Energy Innovation’s Sara Baldwin. Buildings generate around a third of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, with direct fossil fuels emissions from appliances and heating constituting about 12% of the total. Decarbonizing buildings is key to addressing climate, avoiding higher costs and untenable risks. NBI’s recently released Building Decarbonization Code is a strong starting point. Enabling efficient, solar-ready, all-electric, and electric vehicle-capable new buildings would support cheaper deployment of known climate solutions.