Building Codes and Standards

The buildings sector –including all commercial, industrial and residential energy use for building operations and new building materials- accounts for about half of all energy consumption in the U.S. Many of the buildings in the Northeast are aging and will be replaced or renovated within the next 30 years, which provides a tremendous opportunity to increase their efficiency. Increasing building efficiency will reduce GHG emissions associated with constructing and maintaining these buildings and provide significant cost savings over time.

Background

ENE identified increasing building efficiency as a top priority in the Climate Change Roadmap. As part of advocacy for new codes and enforcement policies, ENE supported a provision in Massachusetts’...
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Building Codes and Standards

Three priority strategies for initiatives to increase building efficiency in the region are:

  • Update and adopt advanced building codes, and ensure proper enforcement of codes.

  • Establish aggressive Energy Performance Standards for new construction and retrofits of public buildings.

  • Create incentives for private construction and retrofits to meet these standards.

ENE worked with policymakers and stakeholders in Maine to develop a building code bill that included several components related to promoting energy efficiency, including proposed financial incentives for high efficiency building performance and consumer protections in the form of building energy performance labeling requirements. (For more details, see LD 2179 text and ENE testimony.) The Maine legislature recently passed an amended version of the original bill, An Act to Establish a Uniform Building Code (LD 2257), which establishes rules regarding efficiency standards and code enforcement (See What's New).

 

Massachusetts set a regional precedent when it recently adopted the most up-to-date International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) standards for the state. The IECC develops model standards designed to maximize building energy efficiency. Also, the Massachusetts Green Communities Act (HB 3965) institutes a new certification system to train energy inspectors.