Advocates aiming to prompt Pennsylvania legislators to update the state’s building codes erected two icehouses on the steps of the state Capitol in Harrisburg to make a point about energy efficiency.
One 8-foot-by-8-foot icehouse was built to current code; the other was built to passive house energy efficiency standards. In about three weeks, the project’s designers expect that the half-ton of ice in the less efficient shed will have melted completely, while the block in the high-performance building will still be about half of its original size.
Pennsylvania has not updated its energy codes since 2009. Advocates also want state lawmakers to reform the process for adopting new codes.
The Senate and House passed bills this spring to revise the state’s building code adoption process. A 2011 law requires an advisory board to approve each code change with a two-thirds vote.
Related Stories
Codes and Standards | Sep 29, 2020
New drinking water standard criteria further restricts lead leaching in plumbing products
Tightened standard applies to endpoint devices that dispense drinking water, and other plumbing components
Codes and Standards | Sep 29, 2020
Groups sue CDC over eviction moratorium
Natl. Apartment Assn. and New Civil Liberties Alliance want hearing by October.
Codes and Standards | Sep 24, 2020
Benefits of building enclosure commissioning include reduced costs
Savings achieved in less rework and fewer and shorter punch lists.
Codes and Standards | Sep 23, 2020
Intl. Code Council aims to stay ahead of new tech, efficiency trends, and resiliency
Passive survivability, social resiliency, and community health among the goals.
Codes and Standards | Sep 22, 2020
Air cleaners, chemical and UV treatments among tools to safeguard indoor air amid pandemic
Strategies augment social distancing, increased air flow to combat COVID-19 spread.
Codes and Standards | Sep 21, 2020
No ease of lumber price spikes in sight
Wildfires strike Northwest timber industry in wake of Covid-19 shutdowns.
Codes and Standards | Sep 17, 2020
Spate of energy code appeals could hamper efficiency progress
Construction and fossil fuel interests oppose portions of latest model energy code.
Codes and Standards | Sep 16, 2020
Heat pumps are the future for hot water
Sustainability policies will drive trend.
Codes and Standards | Sep 15, 2020
Taller timber buildings approved in National Fire Protection Association code
Ensures compatibility with the International Building Code.
Codes and Standards | Sep 14, 2020
Relocation of neighborhoods, the next step in U.S. flood strategy, is underway
Repeated rebuilding after successive floods now seen as bad policy.