Building Codes Assistance Project

Join over 700 of energy efficiency's most notable leaders, representing 40+ countries, at the Energy Efficiency Global Forum & Exposition (EE Global), being held May 10-12, 2010 at the Washington DC Convention Center. With over 80% of 2009 participants self-identifying as executives or managers, EE Global 2010 will provide access to decision makers and offer executive-level insight and dialogue. Focusing solely on energy efficiency from the perspective of all energy end-use sectors (buildings, industrial and transportation) and with coverage of all cross-cutting issues (finance, policy, technology, and market transformation), EE Global serves as an exchange of best practices and policies for global implementation of energy efficiency. Visit www.eeglobalforum.org for detailed information about this exciting event!

On December 3, 2008, the D.C. City Council adopted new residential and commercial building codes that incorporate many energy efficiency and green building standards. Replacing the previous code based on the 2000 IECC that was adopted in 2003, the 2008 D.C. Construction Codes (PDF - 3.8 MB) have been developed from ASHRAE 90.1-2007 for commercial buildings (about 7% more stringent than the standard in place for neighboring Virginia and Maryland) and the "30% Solution" for residential buildings (about 30% more stringent than the standard in place for Virginia and Maryland), which was a comprehensive package of amendments offered at the 2009 International Code Council hearings in September.

Washington, D.C., was among the early cities to require privately owned buildings to meet LEED standards.

District of Columbia News Release, FEBRUARY 18, 2008