The Oklahoma Uniform BuildingĀ CodeĀ Commission rejected a proposal by its Energy Conservation Technical Committee to upgrade the stateās residential energy conservationĀ code.
The commission, composed of builders, subcontractors, engineers,Ā codeĀ officials, and other construction industry professionals, voted unanimously against the committeeās research and recommendations. That proposal was based on the 2015 International ResidentialĀ Code, a less stringent version than the most recent 2018Ā code.
The chairman of the committee expects the commissioners to derail the entire effort to beef up the stateāsĀ code.Ā Many members of the commissionĀ opposed the committeeās work from the onset, citing concerns that theĀ codeĀ would add construction costs and would amount to a government mandate, he said.
One commissioner quoted in an article in theĀ Oklahoman, pointed to ātremendous escalation in demand which has caused rapid increases in home prices,ā in recent years.Ā In addition, the current labor shortage would challenge jurisdictions to increase the levels of inspections, he said. Another complaint: a shortage of energy raters would make it difficult to test every new home.
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