Colorado Green Building Post

A key provision of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding of State Energy Programs is a  commitment to adopt advanced building energy codes. All fifty states complied with this provison, including Colorado in a letter from Gov. Bill Ritter, stating this commitment in writing to the Dept. of Energy.

In 2007, House Bill 1146 established minimum state-wide energy codes only for counties that already have a building code. Colorado is a home rule state, so it will be up to local jurisdictions to adopt and implement advanced energy codes. So far, only Aspen has adopted the 2009 IECC.

At the 2012 Code Development Hearings last month, the International Codes Council adopted a proposal to replace the weaker IRC energy chapter with the IECC in the 2012 building code. State energy offices can join the ICC as voting members and participate in the final action hearings next year to adopt a unified energy code that is nearly 30% more efficient than the 2006 IECC.

This summer,  GEO and the International Codes Council conducted a series of 23 code workshops across the state covering the 2009 IECC. The presentation and other resources can be downloaded from the GEO web site.

Here is the ARRA provision:
Section 410 (a) (2)
The State, or the applicable units of local government that have authority to adopt building codes, will implement the following:
(A) A building energy code (or codes) for residential buildings that meets or exceeds the most recently published International Energy Conservation Code, or achieves equivalent or greater energy savings.
(B) A building energy code (or codes) for commercial buildings throughout the State that meets or exceeds the ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2007, or achieves equivalent or greater energy savings.
(C) A plan for the jurisdiction achieving compliance with the building energy code or codes described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) within 8 years of the date of enactment of this Act in at least 90 percent of new and renovated residential and commercial building space. Such plan shall include active training and enforcement programs and measurement of the rate of compliance each year.

Last week, the National Association of  State Energy Officials (NASEO) and leaders in building Energy Efficiency released a letter clarifying requirements of Section 410 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that says by accepting State Energy Program funding and submitting letters assuring the Department of Energy that their states would comply with the terms of Section 410, the states have committed to do three things:
1. Adopt a residential building energy code that meets or exceeds the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC);
2. Adopt a commercial building energy code that meets or exceeds the American National Standards Institute (ANSI)/American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)/ Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA) Standard 90.1-2007; and
3. Develop and implement a plan, including active training and enforcement provisions, to achieve 90 percent compliance with the target codes by 2017, including measuring current compliance each year.

The NASEO letter gives states a heads-up on the reporting requirements of ARRA as the first anniversary of the legislation approaches and offers resources to help states move forward on their commitments to adopt advanced energy codes.