After being pressured to scale back efficiency provisions in the 2018 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), code officials largely held the line on efficiency gains made in recent versions, according to Lauren Urbanek, Senior Energy Policy Advocate, Energy & Transportation program with the Natural Resources Defense Council.
“The building code was under attack at every step of this year-long process,” Urbanek writes. “There were many proposals that would have significantly weakened the code and allowed more opportunities for energy waste, but nearly all were defeated.”
Urbanek noted just one efficiency gain in the new commercial code—one that pertains to water flow in showers. It sets the maximum flow rate of showerheads in commercial buildings at 2.0 gallons per minute, the level that has been specified by the EPA Water Sense program since 2010.
The IECC is used as a model code by more than 40 states. It is updated every three years.
A home built to the 2012 code uses about half of the energy as a standard home constructed in 1975, according to Urbanek.
Related Stories
Codes and Standards | May 24, 2018
‘Amazon tax’ could slow Seattle’s construction boom
City imposes employer head count tax to fund affordable housing.
Codes and Standards | May 23, 2018
AAMA releases 2017/2018 fenestration market studies
Offers forecasts of industry trends.
Codes and Standards | May 22, 2018
Registration open for 2018 National Energy Codes Conference
U.S. Department of Energy event to be held July 15th-17th in Austin.
Codes and Standards | May 21, 2018
New standard tests quietness of floors
ASTM International method will help manufacturers test their flooring materials.
Codes and Standards | May 17, 2018
California will require solar panels on most new homes
Projected to add $10,000 to cost of new homes.
Codes and Standards | May 16, 2018
New resources offer tips on off-site construction
NIBS documents address using pre-cast concrete, and commercial and legal considerations of modular construction.
Codes and Standards | May 15, 2018
Blast testing of loaded mass timber structures yields positive results
Four tests covered a spectrum of blast loads.
Codes and Standards | May 14, 2018
Maryland makes general contractors liable for failure of subs to pay employees
GCs could have to pay for up to three times the wages owed.
Codes and Standards | May 10, 2018
Data collection, machine learning boost building efficiency
Sensors, software algorithms squeeze out waste.
Codes and Standards | May 9, 2018
OSHA and state safety agencies write more than 100 silica citations in 6 months
Actions tending to come with investigation of other site conditions.