Consumer Demand for Energy Savings Drives Improved Building Codes

Image of energy efficient new home courtesy American Energy Council.org

A new survey notes that consumer concerns about energy efficiency are one of the major driving forces behind state-by-state improvements in building energy codes.

The survey, conducted by the nonprofit Building Codes Assistance Project, or BCAP, in cooperation with Consumers Union, the policy and advocacy arm of Consumer Reports, is based on 5,000 responses. The Institute for Market Transformation, or IMT, also joined the effort.

BCAP is a nonprofit agency jointly created by the Alliance to Save Energy, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), and the Natural Resources Defense Council which works with a number of entities (including the U.S. Department of Energy) to support energy code adoption among states and nations.

The IMT is another nonprofit solely vested in energy efficiency, green building and environmental protection here and abroad, and fulfills its mission by insuring that “green” technologies and inventions succeed in the marketplace.

According to the report, the initiatives at state level to increase energy code mandates reflect the predominant belief (84 percent) that more energy-efficient homes can reduce energy use and its attendant pollution. It can also reduce American dependence on expensive and uncertain oil supplies.

An overwhelming 82 percent of those surveyed also agreed that American homeowners should have a right to a home that meets national energy standards. Other responses show that:

• 79 percent agreed that tracking and revealing a home’s energy footprint would make it easier for them to make an environmentally conscientious decision when it comes time to buy a new home.

• 74 percent affirmed that energy code standards would guarantee that new buildings will be done “right” (in an environmentally sound manner) the first time, rather than requiring retrofits to meet standards.

• 75 percent concurred with the principle that energy codes should be enforced like other construction safety and quality standards.

As BCAP Director Maureen Guttman noted:

“Energy codes protect home and building owners from high energy bills every month over the lifetime of the building. The survey findings show consumers understand that energy codes mean lower energy bills and less pollution, and also that buyers expect contractors to build homes and buildings right the first time.”

Improved residential energy codes can save consumers about $243 per year on their utility bills, even though the additional cost of making them energy efficient is usually less than $850.

Nowhere is this increased consumer awareness of, and preference for, energy efficiency more evident than in Massachusetts, where Ameresco, Inc. (NYSE: AMRC), a leading energy efficiency and renewable energy company, is completing the initial phase of a project in Fall River, Massachusetts which involves the installation of energy-efficient lighting in three locations and solar photovoltaic systems in four locations.

When completed, the Fall River initiative is expected the city more than $2.7 million and reduce its footprint by 25.8 million pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) over its lifetime.

Texas is another example of “model” energy codes, with the state adopting (in January) improved energy codes that will reduce the energy consumption of new, single-family homes by as much as 15 percent, according to the Energy Systems Laboratory at Texas A&M University. Other code upgrades will also lower energy footprints at commercial and industrial buildings, and multi-family residential buildings, in April

And tiny Wayland, Massachusetts has its own initiative going as well. Called the Energy Initiatives Advisory Committee (EIAC), the board’s actions will increase reliance on energy conservation programs and equipment, “green building” design and construction, alternative energy technologies, and improved heating, ventilation and cooling (HVAC) equipment.  

Energy efficiency may seem like a long, slow road to U.S. energy reduction, but according to the ACEEE, such energy code improvements could – according to a new report – cut energy use by as much as 60 percent by 2050, given the right set of circumstances.

Home builders are also jumping on the energy efficiency bandwagon, and, as Cliff Majersik, Executive Director of the IMT, notes:

“Energy codes have been around for a long time, but didn’t get much attention. Now, we’re seeing a rapid growth in attention being paid to energy codes as home buyers and voters become increasingly aware that better codes lead to more energy efficient and comfortable homes and to big savings on energy bills.  Builders and officials are responding with better codes and better homes and buildings."

Home owners spend millions every year to improve the efficiency of their homes.  It is much more cost effective to build our homes efficiently in the first place than to come back and renovate them later.”