Advice for states leapfrogging energy codes?

Congrats, Z and Louisiana! WA has a discussion each year on the cost and affordability of the energy codes. While it is not the case you are looking for, here are what gets brought up each cycle as well as the rebuttals. It costs too much. Response: The energy code adds to first cost, but the biggest culprits adding to first cost are zoning code (single family housing-only zones), permit times, regulatory fees, and growth management (a set of policies to encourage denser development that has been hamstrung by single-family only policies and NIMBYism). The attached letter shows exaggerated but relative costs for each in WA. I looked at home prices increases in several counties in WA, comparing existing homes to existing homes. Prices increased 5-10% each year, around 20% or more over the 3-year code cycle. The energy code adds 1-3% every three years. If you do zoning right, the code costs could be zeroed out. It prices out homebuyers, thousands for each $1,000 increase in first cost. NAHB release reports periodically that look at the median-priced home and how many buyers cannot afford a median priced home when it increases. However, if you cannot afford a median priced home because it went up $1,000 you can simply buy another home. It is not possible to be priced out because the median went up. It’s also true around here that new homes cost more than older homes, and since the code primarily regulates new homes this means almost no one is being priced out of homeownership due to new home prices going up. The local BIAW also looks at the median home cost, which is a large (2,500 sf or so) home that is not anywhere near the least expensive homes on the market in a given area, so no one is getting priced out. It reduces fossil fuel. Yes, it does in WA (heating dominant climate). Not sure how this will play in LA. Low energy homes at some point cannot includes electric resistance and gas combustion at 100% efficiency or less. We need good envelopes and heat pumps. And if you include the cost of the gas hookup (some utilities get other ratepayers to pay for your hookup) it can actually be cheaper to go all electric with a heat pump. Heat pumps also provide a two-fer by adding A/C – western WA is one of the few places in the US that don’t normally include A/C – and with wildfire smoke and increasing heat waves in WA we expect everyone will install A/C in new homes anyway. The electricity grid can’t handle it. New buildings add perhaps 1% of building stock each year. This is well within the range of utility planning. The biggest issue with the future grid will be EVs and the forthcoming prevalence of PV. No workers know how to install the new equipment. We have talked to manufacturers and they offer plenty of training once the certainty of sales occurs via the code being adopted. Having several months between the adoption and the code being in force is critical to get the supply chain working and the installers ready. Cleaner air. Yes, combustion is negatively associated with tens or hundreds of thousands of US deaths each year, depending on which statistic you look at. This is for local combustion sources, including gas stoves, furnaces, etc, as well as pipelines leaks. It includes indoor and outdoor air quality, and leads to increased cases of asthma. We have doctors/nurses show up at meetings in scrubs to talk about this. The local ShiftZero coalition, the Rocky Mountain Institute, and other entities have helped rally energy code supporters to the public meetings. 2/3rd of the signatories of letters and an overwhelming majority of those who testify at the meetings are on board with the updates. Best of luck! Kjell From: Z S

Z, Shelby County, TN did that too. While the rest of TN remains on an older version of 90.1, this particular county leaped ahead. We are looking into it for a project. I am thrilled with the development. The design team, that worked on the feasibility 2 years ago (based on the older energy code) is not very thrilled. If I do hear from anyone in the county that might have some insights, I will reach out to you. If you have connections there, you might want to get their feedback.