Bipartisan energy efficiency bill targets national building code

[jar546]

Bipartisan energy efficiency bill targets national building code to save consumers an estimated $51B

Dive Brief:

• Bipartisan, bicameral legislation to ***** the energy efficiency of homes and commercial, industrial and federal buildings, could save $51 billion on energy bills through 2050 according to new analysis from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE).
• Critics of the bill, however, told a U.S. House subcommittee on Wednesday that more aggressive building codes for energy efficiency could harm housing affordability through "costly and aggressive" requirements on homebuilders. The committee chair also pressed a Department of Energy official on appliance standards that have yet to be updated.
• The most significant portions of the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act would modify national building codes to make new homes and commercial buildings more energy efficient, provide retrofitting assistance for schools, and create a program to account for efficiency in the mortgage appraisal and underwriting process for federally-backed mortgages.

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[Mark K]

First there is no national building code. Building Codes and the regulation of building construction is reserved to the state. There seems to be some confusion regarding this fact. What we have is a privately produced model code that most if not all jurisdictions adopt a version of.

There have been two drivers for energy efficiency, cost saving and impact on the environment. When we have only renewable power on the grid the environmental concern seems to go away. The concern about cost saving is less of a national concern and when there is an excess of renewable power on the grid it is likely that the costs will go down.

 

[JCraver]

This is something the Feds should stay out of.

Publicly-funded buildings, or homes built with fed-guaranteed loans, then sure, have some energy efficiency rules they follow. For every single other building out there, there's no benefit to anybody but the energy lobby to mandate any energy standards.

If you disagree, ask yourself: since an energy code went into affect in your jurisdiction, has your energy bill decreased as a result? No? Well there you go.....

 

[ADAguy]

ICC lobbying for this to "sell" more code books?

 

[VillageInspector]

ICC lobbying for this to "sell" more code books?

Would anyone be surprised ?