SierraScape October - November 2010
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by Becky Denney
Conservation Committee Chair

When building code officials meet in October in Charlotte, NC they will decide the 2012 energy conservation code standard for new homes. There is a strong proposal to ensure these homes are 30% more efficient then their 2006 counterpart. The 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) did bring up the average energy savings by 15 %. But even before the 2009 iteration of IECC was official we had the technology to save at least 30% energy without new research or discovery of new materials.

For the International Code Council (ICC) to accept the energy saving, money saving proposals called the 30% Solution, county and city code officials from your community must support them. One national group that is opposed to raising the bar for energy efficiency and lowering energy costs for homeowners is the National Home Builders. Education and public pressure is needed so builders see the economic and health advantages of using energy efficient windows and lights, improving insulation, and sealing leaks in the exterior shells of new buildings and retrofits. On the other hand, organizations such as ICLEI who work to mitigate carbon emissions in cities offer scholarships so code officials supportive of energy efficient codes can attend.

When the International Code Council (ICC) adopts or updates their codes they become federally recognized building codes which establish the minimum health, safety and efficiency standards for new home construction in most cities and states in the U.S. Every three years, a new round of codes is created which can respond to the techniques and present day knowledge in construction industry. The next round of improvements for 2012 will be finalized by 2011 so the process for developing these standards is already started.

Call your mayor and county officials to ask them if they will support the "The 30% Solution 2012."

Please work with us to ensure that future homeowners are not cheated out of energy savings.

Contact me for more information:

Becky Denney
dardenney@sbcglobal.net
Cool Cities Organizer