Ohio Sierra Club is calling on the Ohio Board of Building Standards to protect our health and the environment, while creating jobs and supporting the economy by adopting the 2018 International Energy Conservation Code for residential buildings. The 2018 IECC is a cost-effective way to gradually increase the level of efficiency and keep up with competing states throughout the region. Over the past four years, other states in the Midwest like Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota, and Iowa have all updated their residential building energy code to the 2012 IECC or better. We support the adoption of the 2018 IECC for residential buildings in Ohio, as it will reduce energy use and cost for residents, create more comfortable and healthier indoor environments, and protect low-income residents from paying high energy costs that could significantly impact their way of life.
Efficiency and building improvements stemming from the 2018 IECC will save money and provide healthier homes for homeowners and renters;
According to an analysis by the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, the average homeowner in Ohio could expect to use 27% less energy and reduce energy costs by approximately $430 annually. These energy and cost savings will continue for the life of a building, which can extend 50 – 100 years or more. A similar analysis by the US Department of Energy (DOE) concluded that a homeowner with a 30-year mortgage will realize a positive cash flow in less than 6 months and a life-cycle cost savings of over $6,000. In addition to yielding economic benefits, the 2018 IECC will result in healthier and more comfortable buildings by providing a building enclosure that is tightly sealed and properly ventilated.
2. The local economy will be stronger as homeowners will have more disposable income;
According to a recent US DOE analysis, from 2010 to 2030, Ohioans could save one billion dollars from consistently updating their residential energy code. This projection assumes Ohio will not update to the 2018 IECC until 2028; updating almost 10 years earlier would only increase the potential energy cost savings. In the near term, an update to the 2018 IECC would collectively save Ohio residents over $6.7 million and reduce energy use by over 640,000 MMBTU in the first year alone, equivalent to the energy used annually by over 4,000 homes, which is roughly a quarter the number of single-family homes built in Ohio in 2016.
Energy codes serve as a critical consumer protection, locking in energy and financial savings for decades to come.
Low-income households operate on a fixed income, where if the cost of energy were to increase, they could struggle to pay for other essentials such as food, water, housing and transportation. This population typically spends an average of 7.2% of their income on energy bills compared to the national average at 2.3%. The adoption of the 2018 IECC would help ease the burden on this population. Considering newly built homes will be around for 50 to 100 years, these homes could eventually be inhabited by low-income families. The 2018 IECC guarantees that limited air leakage, quality insulation, and efficient windows, three crucial energy-efficient building components, are included in new construction to ensure a strong and resilient building shell for years to come.
The energy efficiency sector currently supports more than 81,000 jobs in Ohio alone, making it the largest energy employer in the state. We urge the State of Ohio to support job creation, human health and the environment by adopting the 2018 IECC residential energy code.