1950s–1960s: Cheap Energy, Expensive Consequences
- Homes were built with little regard for insulation or energy efficiency.
- FHA mortgage defaults increased in cold climates due to unaffordable heating bills, not high loan payments.
- The federal government recognized that poor energy design created financial risk in the housing market.
- 1973 Oil Crisis exposes U.S. dependence on foreign energy.
- 1975 – Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) creates the Department of Energy (DOE).
- 1976/1978 – Energy Conservation Standards for New Buildings Act directs HUD to set energy requirements for federally backed housing.
- 1978 – National Energy Conservation Policy Act (NECPA) strengthens federal role in energy reduction.
- Published by CABO (Council of American Building Officials).
- First nationally recognized standard for energy-efficient building design.
- Updated periodically, with MEC 1992 being a major leap in requirements.
- ICC is formed from BOCA, ICBO, SBCCI, and CABO to unify code development.
- Goal: streamline all model codes under one umbrella, including energy.
- First edition of the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) is published by the ICC.
- Becomes the baseline for most state and local energy codes in the U.S.
- Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) requires DOE to evaluate each new IECC edition.
- States must certify whether they’ll update their energy codes to match improvements in efficiency.
- IECC introduces performance paths and Energy Rating Index (ERI) options.
- Building envelope, HVAC, lighting, and air sealing standards become stricter in each cycle.
- Some states lag in adoption, while others (e.g., Florida, Massachusetts) push for aggressive updates.
- Used across most of the U.S., either directly or in amended form.
- Passive House and other high-performance building methods can align with IECC through performance path modeling, but are not automatically code-compliant.