Intl Energy codes catching up with Lexington

Members of the International Code Council (ICC) have approved changes to building energy codes – the CAFE standards of the buildings world – that will require new and renovated homes and commercial buildings to use 30 percent less energy than those built to current standards.

The votes are truly historic. Never in the history of the ICC have such enormous gains in energy efficiency been made in such a short time. The ICC used the Massachusetts Stretch Energy code as the model for the energy provisions of the IECC 2012 building energy code. That means that the rest of the country will soon be building to the same standards that we've recently adopted in Lexington.  

The changes, which will occur in the 2012 version of the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), leverage sensible and cost-effective strategies to reduce energy, such as increasing insulation levels and lighting efficiency, improving the air-tightness of buildings and ductwork, and requiring check-ups known as commissioning in new commercial buildings, where mechanical systems are prone to underperform. The energy efficiency proposals that were approved were endorsed by a diverse coalition of government officials, business associations and product manufacturers, including the U.S. Energy Department, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the American Institute of Architects, the Consumer Federation of America, Cardinal Glass and the National Housing Institute.

Homes and buildings account for over 40 percent of U.S. energy consumption and 75% of U.S. electricity usage. American consumers spend more than $200 billion each year paying for energy. 

An average new construction home will be 30 percent more energy-efficient than the IECC 2006 code and about 20 percent more efficient than the IECC 2009 code.  That's money in the pockets of homeowners and significant reduction in our energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. About 10 billion square feet of commercial and residential space is built or renovated every year in the United States and will soon be subject to the new codes. The IECC is the basis for the energy code in 47 states and the District of Columbia.