Environmental Leader

The development committee of the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) has recommended the IECC adopt new building codes that would result in 30 percent in energy efficiency gains for commercial and residential buildings.

The recommendations will be considered next year for final approval by International Code Council members.

The Institute for Market Transformation has come out in favor of the IECC committee’s recomendations.

“Advanced building energy codes promote energy-efficient construction practices in millions of new and retrofitted homes and commercial buildings, creating and preserving jobs with minimal effect on total construction costs,” said Cliff Majersik, executive director of IMT.

Not only would the codes help save energy, they would help the economy by resulting in fewer loan defaults. The IMT conducted a survey that found mortgages on energy efficient homes have an 11 percent lower rate of default and delinquency.

In considering code enhancements, the IECC development committee looked at proposals from the U.S. Department of Energy, as well as the Energy Efficient Codes Coalition (EECC) and its “30 Percent Solution.”

Eventually the committee settled on the DOE proposal, as well as nine individual projects from the EECC that bring the total savings close to the 30 percent goal, according to a press release (PDF).