After pausing a heat pump mandate earlier this year after a federal court overturned Berkeley, Calif.’s ban on gas appliances in new buildings, Washington state enacted a new code provision that seems poised to achieve the same goal.
The state Building Code Council recently revised the state building code to require new buildings to meet the same total energy performance as those built with electric heat pumps. Builders have the option to choose gas appliances, but they must find ways to achieve the same efficiency as a building that uses heat pumps.
Washington’s approach enacts a tough standard that makes it difficult and expensive for builders to meet energy efficiency targets without installing heat pumps instead of explicitly mandating them. Heat pumps can put out three to four times as much heat energy as the amount of electricity they consume, making buildings that use them much more energy efficient than those heated by gas.
The code revisions could go into effect as soon as March 15, pending any legal challenges.
Related Stories
| Feb 17, 2014
Channeling weather forecasts to building systems can yield significant energy savings
Using weather forecasts to predict outdoor temperature changes can lead to significant energy savings, exceeding 10%, researchers say.
| Feb 17, 2014
Lawmakers may take away control of Florida hospital project from the VA
The project is $100 million over budget and has missed its scheduled completion date.
| Feb 17, 2014
Business, labor at odds over toughening of OSHA silica dust rule
OSHA says the rules will protect workers and prevent 700 fatalities annually. Others say the rules would hurt businesses and jobs.
| Feb 17, 2014
Tulsa, Okla., mulls code change to require storm shelters in new schools
State and city officials are pushing for increased bonding capacity to pay for the storm shelters.
| Feb 13, 2014
Appraisal Institute issues guidelines on evaluating green property
The Appraisal Institute and the Institute for Market Transformation have issued guidelines for training property appraisers to evaluate green buildings.
| Feb 7, 2014
New LEED Dynamic Plaque system will measure building performance
The U.S. Green Building Council recently unveiled the LEED Dynamic Plaque, which is a new system designed for benchmarking and comparing post-occupancy building performance on a global scale.
| Feb 7, 2014
Los Angeles officials struggle to deal with needed seismic retrofits
Sixteen years ago, the Los Angeles City Council decided against requiring retrofits of existing buildings because of the projected cost and the threat of losing 20,000 apartment buildings.
| Feb 7, 2014
Los Angeles officials struggle to deal with needed seismic retrofits
Sixteen years ago, the Los Angeles City Council decided against requiring retrofits of existing buildings because of the projected cost and the threat of losing 20,000 apartment buildings.
| Feb 7, 2014
EPA, Freddie Mac collaborate on energy- and water-efficient apartments
Freddie Mac will gather data on energy and water use from property owners, and encourage lenders to spend on energy-efficient investments for multifamily housing.
| Feb 7, 2014
ASHRAE releases new refrigerant standards
The 2013 editions of ASHRAE’s major refrigerants-related standards, incorporating 41 new addenda, have been published.
