flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Decentralized approach to codes means emissions reduction responsibility falls on local officials

Codes and Standards

Decentralized approach to codes means emissions reduction responsibility falls on local officials

Efficiency advocates focusing more on local code amendments.


By Peter Fabris, Contributing Editor | August 11, 2021

Courtesy Pixabay

While organizations such as the International Code Council set energy efficiency standards, in the U.S., state and local governments have the responsibility of adopting their own building codes.

This decentralized approach to code adoption means much of the work of reducing the carbon impact of buildings is occurring in statehouses and city halls. As a result, a growing group of clean energy and efficiency advocates are focusing on instituting local code amendments that improve on the model code.

In Minnesota, for instance, a coalition of cities and environmentalists are advocating for policy that would shift commercial buildings to net-zero by 2036. The New Buildings Institute (NBI) has submitted code proposals in that state to make new buildings electric-ready. NBI is also working on proposals for Wisconsin and Michigan.

New York, Seattle, and Massachusetts have strengthened building codes beyond the national standard, while lawmakers in nearly 20 states, including Wyoming, Iowa, and Colorado, have considered legislation that would prohibit bans on gas in new buildings. These developments indicate that the fight over energy efficiency code provisions is likely to heat up.

Related Stories

| Jun 5, 2014

Over budget Homeland Security headquarters project may be canceled

A massive new headquarters for the Department of Homeland Security is more than $1.5 billion over budget, 11 years behind schedule, and may never be completed.

| Jun 5, 2014

Insurance giant sues nearly 200 Illinois communities for failing to prepare for climate change

Farmers Insurance filed nine class action suits against nearly 200 communities in the Chicago area, saying that local governments should have prepared for rising global temperatures that have led to heavier rains and flooding.

| Jun 4, 2014

Dikes, water pumps, and parks will help New York City area be more resilient

The Obama Administration has pledged $1 billion in federal funding to protect the New York City region from flooding like the area experienced from Superstorm Sandy.

| Jun 4, 2014

Green initiative may scuttle high-rise projects in Berkeley, California, critics charge

Volunteers in Berkeley, Calif., are collecting signatures for the “Green Downtown & Public Commons Initiative,” a controversial measure that critics charge would halt some development in the city.

| Jun 2, 2014

Parking structures group launches LEED-type program for parking garages

The Green Parking Council, an affiliate of the International Parking Institute, has launched the Green Garage Certification program, the parking industry equivalent of LEED certification.

| May 28, 2014

Commercial building measurement standard could meet resistance from owners

For some building owners, a new measurement standard could mean that their building would shrink in size and lose value.

| May 28, 2014

Resiliency measures for hurricanes can help with tornadoes

Architect Butch Grimes, who examined the wreckage after a half-mile tornado struck Tuscaloosa, Ala., believes toughening building codes can reduce damage from twisters.

| May 28, 2014

Rooftop wind turbines becoming green status symbol in New York City

New York City developers are using rooftop wind turbines in an effort to attract buyers by highlighting a building’s green credentials.

| May 28, 2014

Peer review process under way for the WELL Building Standard

The standard is the first protocol of its kind that focuses on improving human wellness within the built environment by identifying specific conditions that, when holistically integrated into building interiors, enhance the health and wellbeing of the occupants.

| May 22, 2014

ASHRAE releases best practice guide for liquid cooling systems in data centers

The publication provides guidelines on interface requirements between chilled-water systems and technology cooling systems and on the requirements of liquid-cooled systems that attach to a datacom electronics rack.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category

Sustainability

Grimshaw launches free online tool to help accelerate decarbonization of buildings

Minoro, an online platform to help accelerate the decarbonization of buildings, was recently launched by architecture firm Grimshaw, in collaboration with more than 20 supporting organizations including World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), RIBA, Architecture 2030, the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) and several national Green Building Councils from across the globe.




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021