New Building Codes

This coming October the International Codes Council is holding a conference in Charlotte to vote on new building code proposals. The Sierra Club is supporting an initiative called the “30% Solution 2012.” This plan would increase energy efficiency by thirty percent in new residential construction. Today, buildings are the largest source of energy waste in the country. They consume over 40 percent of the nation’s energy and 71 percent of our electricity.

The code is amended every three years and is the model energy code recognized by federal statute. The proposal the Sierra Club supports mandates a number of energy efficiency enhancements, the most prominent being, improved insulation w/ inspection,comprehensive air sealing and testing for air ducts, requirements for efficient hot water distribution systems and requirements for reduced envelope infiltration along with energy recovery ventilation.

Any local government official can attend and vote at the ICC conference. Typically, the best turnout comes from voting members in the host state. That means that North Carolina will play a major role influencing decisions that affect energy efficiency across the country. We’ll be working hard to send local officials to the conference and hopefully together we can reduce our energy consumption.