Learn how the changes in the Stimulus package affect your industry.

David Karmol, the International Code Council’s Vice President for Federal and External Relations explains how the new IECC will affect your projects.

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The U.S. construction industry is about to get greener, thanks to the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, signed by President Obama on February 17. Among the billions of dollars set aside for environmental initiatives, some will naturally encourage states to adopt the newest green building code published by the International Code Council (ICC)—the 2009 edition of theInternational Energy Conservation Code (IECC).

Released in January, the 2009 IECC is expected to offer approximately 15 percent in energy efficiency gains compared to the 2006 edition. New energy efficiency provisions in the 2009 IECC include improved window and skylight efficiencies, an increase in insulation R-values and mandated use of high efficiency light bulbs for at least 50 percent of permanent light fixtures in new homes.

The improvements in energy efficiency offered by the 2009 IECC are “in line with what the president has said he wants to do, and that is to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, reduce our use of electricity, reduce our carbon footprint,” says David Karmol, ICC vice president for federal and external relations. “Buildings use somewhere between 40 and 50 percent of the nation’s energy and around 70 percent of the nation’s electricity. If you want to impact energy use, you really have to deal with buildings. And there’s no better way to do that than adopt the latest version of the IECC.”

Adoption of the 2009 IECC will not only help save energy, but also help the states claim part of the $3.1 billion the stimulus act has designated for state energy programs. In order to get their hands on the money, state governors will have to notify the Secretary of Energy they have obtained assurances that their states will implement a building energy code for residential construction that meets or exceeds the 2009 IECC, and for commercial construction will meet or exceed the 2007 version of ASHRAE 90.1, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings. (Other assurances they will have to provide to qualify for their share of the state energy program dollars are the implementation of utility rate policies that will encourage customers to use energy efficiently and the prioritization of grants for energy conservation projects.)

Along with adopting the 2009 IECC and ASHRAE 90.1-2007, the states also will have to demonstrate that they will implement a plan for achieving 90 percent compliance with their building energy codes within eight years, including active training and enforcement programs.

The $3.1 billion will be distributed to state energy program offices. “Traditionally, those offices have not been very tightly connected to local building departments,” says Karmol. “Certainly we would hope that this legislation would move them a little closer, and certainly there’s language there that suggests that they ought to be working together, but traditionally they haven’t. Hopefully some of the money will be used to implement the state plans that the governors have to submit to the secretary of Energy. There’s also other money in this bill in the form of conservation block grants which were included in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, but were never funded.”

Under the 2009 legislation, the conservation block grants have been funded, to the tune of $3.4 billion. Now local building departments can apply for grants for developing and implementing building codes and inspection services to promote building energy efficiency.

Currently, 39 states and the District of Columbia have adopted one version or another of the IECC. And it looks like most, if not all, of the states will be adopting the 2009 version. The $3.1 billion offered by the stimulus plan is a huge incentive, particularly when compared to the $100 million to $200 million the Department of Energy has had in past years to distribute to state energy offices.

“We’ve heard talk from some governors that they’re saying, ‘We don’t like these requirements the feds are putting on us,’” Karmol says. “But I think that at the end of the day, when they realize that they are potentially passing up several hundred million in funding for their state for these energy projects that will allow them to do retrofits, rebuild public buildings, make buildings energy efficient across their state, put people back to work, I think it’s going to be very difficult politically for them to say, ‘We’re not going to take this money.’”

Order the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) today!