Improving Building Energy Codes to Fight Climate Change

On April 10 2008, Alliance President Kateri Callahan and Director of Policy Lowell Ungar participated in two briefings about building energy codes as a response to climate change. These briefings were hosted by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming.

Building energy codes are a key tool in reducing the two-fifths of U.S. energy use and of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions that are due to buildings, and thus are a key part of our national energy policy. While codes are set by state and local governments, they rely on assistance from national organizations and the U.S. Department of Energy. An important provision in the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act (40 kB PDF) would set national targets for code improvements of 30% savings starting in 2010 and 50% savings starting in 2020. If fully implemented, such improvements could avoid 6 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions through 2050.

Presentations from both sessions, moderated by Alliance President Kateri Callahan:

• Senate: Building Energy Codes as a Response to Climate Change
  David E. Rodgers, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency Office of Technology Development
• House: Building Energy Codes as a Response to Climate Change
  James E. Rannels, Technology Validation & Market Introduction DOE Building Technologies Program
• Building Energy Codes Prevent Climate Change
  Lowell Ungar, Director of Policy, Alliance to Save Energy
• ASHRAE: Providing Technical Knowledge to Achieve Energy Goals
  James Wolf, ASHRAE Presidential Member, President, Global Policy Associates
• More Energy Efficient Buildings –One Approach to Saving Money and the Planet
  Malcolm Woolf, Director, Maryland Energy Administration

Related Documents and Resources:

• The Alliance's Improving Building Energy Codes fact sheet
• House advanced building codes provision with proposed edits
• Letter of support for an advanced building energy codes provision from over 60 manufacturers, designers, utilities, state agencies, and environmental, consumer, and energy-efficiency organizations