ICC Comments on EPA Clean Power Plan, Recommends State Plans Include Energy Code

Suggests agreement with China to commit to reducing greenhouse gas emissions is another reason to include a strong endorsement of building energy codes in the EPA’s final rule

The International Code Council submitted comments to the proposed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Clean Power Plan recommending the federal agency strongly encourage state building energy code adoption and compliance as a proven means of end-use reduction. The EPA plan will establish a structure for each state to reduce emissions from existing power plants, through a combination of end-use reduction, cleaner generation, green power production and shifting of fuel sources.

“The International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) is in use in 47 states at the state or local level, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico,” said ICC Board President Guy Tomberlin. “Studies point out that consumer savings on energy usage offset upfront costs to building to the IECC. For example, weatherizing every home in the U.S. to IECC compliance would save the country $33 billion a year in energy costs, according to a Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory study.”

In its comments to the EPA plan, ICC noted that an agreement announced by President Barack Obama in China for both nations to commit to reducing greenhouse gas emissions is another reason to include a strong endorsement of building energy codes in the EPA’s final rule. In China, building energy codes have been suggested as the single biggest change that could be implemented to reduce greenhouse gas emissions over the next 20 years. The climate change agreement between China and the U.S. depends on making changes in both countries to reduce carbon emissions.

“It is critical that we demonstrate to the Chinese and all nations that the U.S. is ‘walking the walk’ when it comes to building energy code usage,” said ICC Chief Executive Officer Dominic Sims. “ICC is working with Chinese associations to achieve common goals for building safety and energy efficiency.”

About ICC: The International Code Council is a member-focused association. It is dedicated to developing model codes and standards used in the design, build and compliance process to construct safe, sustainable, affordable and resilient structures. Most U.S. communities and many global markets choose the International Codes.