Ohio’s residential energy codes are out of date, and that’s bad for our environment and our economy. The clean energy sector currently supports more than 105,443 jobs in Ohio, of which 77% are in energy efficiency. All 81,191 energy efficiency jobs are interdependent with the building industry, whether it be HVAC, insulation, lighting or manufacturing. These are good, in-state jobs in a vital, growing sector of Ohio’s economy. In fact, Ohio leads the Midwest in clean energy manufacturing and construction jobs. Our old building codes are holding us back from an even cleaner and more prosperous future.
Ohio has an opportunity to build on this investment, improve the livability and resiliency of new homes, reduce energy waste, continue to spur local construction and manufacturing jobs, and become a leader in strong building energy codes throughout the region by directly adopting the energy chapter (2018 IECC) of the 2018 International Residential Code (IRC) as Ohio’s statewide minimum building energy code.
We urge the Ohio Board of Building Standards to support the adoption of the full 2018 IECC for residential buildings in Ohio to reduce the energy use and cost for residents, create more comfortable and healthier indoor environments for Ohio families, and increase the resiliency of the building stock so new residential dwellings last for the next 50-100 years.
The 2018 IECC is a cost-effective way to gradually increase the level of efficiency while remaining competitive with neighboring states throughout the region. Over the past four years, most of our neighbors have updated their residential building energy code to the 2012 IECC or better. If Ohio adopts the updated residential energy code:
Efficiency and building improvements stemming from the 2018 IECC will save money and improve the local economy as homeowners will have more disposable income.
Studies have shown that the adoption of the 2018 IECC will result in healthier, more comfortable, and more resilient homes.
Energy codes serve as a critical consumer protection, locking in energy and financial savings for decades to come.
Together we can build a cleaner, healthier infrastructure for generations to come.