The 2012 International Energy Conservation Code: Will it be Strong Enough?

March 2010 – The battle for better building codes continues this fall, when government members of the International Code Council (ICC) meet in Charlotte, N.C., to adopt the 2012 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). Of the three possible outcomes of this meeting, two would be historic for energy efficiency advocates.

Great: Full Steam Ahead on the “The 30% Solution 2012”

The best outcome would be for two-thirds of voting delegates to support the 30% Solution 2012, whereby the new IECC will be nearly 40 percent more energy-efficient than the 2006 IECC for residential construction and at least 30 percent more energy-efficient for commercial construction. It will also become the ICC’s only model energy code.

Good: Majority Support for Pro Energy Efficiency Slate

The next best outcome would be for a simple majority of voting delegates to support the Energy Efficient Codes Coalition’s (EECC’s) pro energy efficiency slate. The 2012 IECC will become the ICC’s only model energy code and will be 30 percent more energy-efficient than the 2006 IECC for both residential and commercial construction.

Bad: Insufficient Support for Energy Efficiency

The worst possible outcome would be if less than a majority support energy efficiency. If this happens, the new IECC will only be 13 – 22 percent more energy-efficient than the 2006 IECC for residential construction and will have to continue to compete with the weaker Energy Chapter of the International Residential Code (IRC).

The Campaign Continues

The broad-based EECC – housed at the Alliance and comprised of energy efficiency advocates from government, regional energy efficiency alliances, environmental groups, utilities, businesses and others – has ramped up its integrated, national advocacy campaign to win the best outcome possible for America’s model energy code.

Central to the EECC effort is an outreach campaign to the government members eligible to send voting delegates to Charlotte, N.C. The EECC will be urging support for the 30% Solution 2012 during this important gathering in October. EECC’s comprehensive efficiency proposal employs readily available technologies to boost the new IECC’s efficiency to nearly 40 percent beyond its 2006 counterpart.

Potential opportunities like this are rare, but opponents of stronger codes are powerful, well placed and well financed. Because commercial and residential buildings use over 40 percent of America’s energy and 75 percent of its electricity, the votes cast in Charlotte this October could be the most important energy and environmental policy votes of 2010.

EECC complements the Alliance’s other building code “battle fronts.” These include the Building Energy-Efficient Codes Network's effort in Congress to enact a 30 percent – then a 50 percent boost – in building code efficiency; the Building Codes Assistant Project's ongoing state and local efforts to adopt, administer and enforce the most stringent building energy codes; and the Responsible Codes Energy Alliance's state code adoption advocacy.