BCAP Releases Alabama State Gap Analysis

When it comes to energy codes in Alabama, success is difficult to measure. Although a few local jurisdictions have adopted energy codes, all efforts to mandate a statewide energy code have failed, setting an unfortunate precedent for current adoption and implementation efforts.

Yet with an influx of federal stimulus funding for the state to achieve 90 percent compliance with national model energy codes by 2017, stakeholders within Alabama know that the status quo is no longer acceptable, and they appear ready to begin making significant changes. The recent passage of Act 2010-185 — which calls for the formation of a board dedicated to energy code adoption — puts Alabama on the path to its first-ever mandatory, statewide energy code.

Advancing Energy Codes with Outreach & Advocacy

Using their experience helping state governments adopt energy codes, the Building Codes Assistance Project (BCAP) and the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance (SEEA) are conducting an energy codes outreach and advocacy project on behalf of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA). The project aims to advance energy codes on the state and municipal levels, and the BCAP-SEEA team is tailoring its best practices to Alabama's unique needs.

As part of the project, BCAP and SEEA are providing local jurisdictions with policy recommendations to overcome barriers to implementation. BCAP staff members are working directly with state agents and local inspection departments to determine the most practical, cost-effective strategies for integrating energy codes into the established enforcement infrastructures.

Big savings for Alabama

So how much does Alabama stand to save? According to BCAP, if buildings in Alabama are built to the national model energy codes — the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) and ASHRAE Standard 90.1‐2007 — the annual energy savings would work out as follows:

• By 2030, homes would have saved 26 trillion Btu and avoided 1,788 thousand metric tons of CO2; homeowners would have saved $185 million in utility bills (based on 2006 prices).
• By 2030, commercial buildings would have saved 19 trillion Btu and avoided 1,321 thousand metric tons of CO2; building owners would have saved $117 million in utility bills (based on 2006 prices).\

Step 1: Identifying the Gaps

When the project began in April, BCAP and SEEA started reviewing the energy codes environment throughout Alabama.

Across the next two months, the BCAP-SEEA team identified top barriers, or "gaps," to adoption of a mandatory, uniform energy code. The team also documented the existing outreach, training, enforcement and compliance infrastructures. Their research culminated in the form of a Gap Analysis Report, which the team presented to ADECA to provide practical recommendations for advancing the energy code at the state level.

Step 2: Getting Codes on the Ground

The second step of the project was to speak with stakeholders in major cities to determine how Alabama's leaders could close the gaps to energy code implementation.

In June, BCAP and SEEA staff members visited the cities of Birmingham, Montgomery and Mobile to conduct face-to-face interviews with community and business leaders, including representatives from the municipal planning and inspection departments, Alabama Power, the Alabama Association of Home Builders (AAHB), and the Alabama chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA).

The interviews revealed that energy efficiency was an afterthought for some stakeholders and an untenable expense for others. Still, many code inspectors and other interested parties were receptive to incorporating energy codes into their work, provided that they would be time- and cost-effective.

Future Steps: Rolling Out an Action Plan

Throughout the summer, BCAP and SEEA will continue speaking with communities in these cities, along with Huntsville and Auburn, to identify specific, realistic targets for improving energy code implementation. The resulting strategies will be rolled out in the form of an easy-to-follow action kit, and will focus on training, outreach, funding mechanisms, compliance tracking, and building professional capacity.

Through these activities, Alabama stakeholders on the state and local levels will be able to begin closing the gaps between Alabama's current codes environment and the one that will achieve 90 percent compliance by 2017.

Alabama still has a long way to go to achieve the economic and environmental benefits of an energy-efficient building stock. But by preparing its municipalities to enforce a statewide energy code, Alabama is catching up to its peers: Nearly all states in the South have both commercial and residential statewide energy codes. With a commitment to realistic strategies and continued participation from all stakeholders, change is coming to Alabama's energy policy.

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