Building Codes Assistance Project

The final action hearing of the International Code Council® (ICC), held from September 17th though the 23rd in Minneapolis, MN ended the code cycle leading to the 2009 versions of the I-Codes, including the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC).

Many of the debates leading up to and during the hearing focused on the idea of advancing the IECC to reduce energy use in residential buildings by 30 percent. This idea was inspired by ASHRAE's goal of achieving 30 percent energy savings through the future ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2010 and the US Department of Energy's call for a 30 percent improvement in new federal, commercial and residential buildings. A "30% Solution," a comprehensive package of residential IECC revisions, was proposed by the Energy Efficient Codes Coalition (EECC), a collaboration of energy efficiency advocates created in 2007 from a broad range of supporters including government, utilities, environmental groups, industry and others. The package of 21 different code proposals pertaining to insulation, windows, lighting and other aspects of home building was supported by 64 percent of the building code officials present and voting, just short of the required two-thirds majority needed to pass.

Despite the defeat of the comprehensive package, over half of the proposals were adopted individually along with additional proposals by other parties. The DOE estimates these changes to make homes at "least 15 percent and possibly even 18-20 percent more energy efficient" than those built to the 2006 standards, ensuring major advances for energy efficiency in the 2009 IECC. Although the desired energy savings were not achieved in Minneapolis, a majority of officials voted in support of most of the energy efficiency proposals, and statements from the EECC and other participants make it clear that reaching this and even higher goals will stay at the top of the agenda for future code cycles.

For more details on the ICC and the hearing results, visit the ICC website. You can also download a summary of the final action on all proposed code changes.

For analysis by DOE, please view the Building Energy Code Program (BECP) website.

For more information on the EECC, go to www.thirtypercentsolution.org.