The Ohio Board of Building Standards recently convened a subcommittee to update the Energy chapter of our statewide residential Building Codes. Important changes that are under consideration include mandatory air leakage tests and other techniques and technologies that reduce heat transfer and energy loss.
Residential buildings account for a significant percentage of the carbon emissions that Ohio is responsible for each year.
Every three years, a consortium of energy efficiency experts, home builders, materials manufacturers and more meet to update a set of building standards called the International Residential Code (IRC). Many states adopt these codes to use at home. Ohio is currently using the 2009 IRC, even though the standard was updated in 2012, 2015 and again this year. Sierra Club is urging our state to adopt provisions of the 2018 IRC that will make homes safer, healthier and more energy efficient.
If Ohio were to adopt the 2018 IRC, the average homeowner in our state 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.
The energy efficiency sector currently supports more than 81,000 jobs in Ohio alone, making it the largest energy employer in the state. We are urging the Board of Building Standards to support job creation, human health and the environment by adopting the 2018 IECC residential energy code now.