The IRC Energy Committee is made up of 12 people, four of which are appointed by NAHB. Because the chair doesn’t vote, energy efficiency advocates have to win support from six of the remaining 7 members of the committee.

Here’s what’s happened in IRC Energy Committee October 26-27:

The GOOD NEWS:

The first four proposals were different ways of eliminating the IRC Energy Chapter and substituting the more energy efficient IECC (which is the only model code recognized in federal law). Two were from EECC and two from Fairfax County's Guy Tomberlin. We supported all four, but after we lost the fourth one, a Colorado code official made an “Assembly Motion” to overturn the IRC Energy Committee. We needed two-thirds majority, but won 73 percent! IF THIS IS UPHELD AT THE FINAL ACTION HEARINGS NEXT YEAR, THE IECC WILL BECOME THE IRC's ENERGY CHAPTER AND THE NATION WILL HAVE A SINGLE MODEL ENERGY CODE.

The BAD NEWS:

IRC Energy Committee defeated every major (including EECC’s “30Plus/EC-25 and DOE’s EC-13) except NAHB’s comprehensive proposal (EC-16) which:

• Takes three steps backward, four forward (reverses 15% gains from 2009 IECC, then proposes what we estimate to be 20% from 2006 IECC for a net gain of 5%),
• Reverses provisions of the 2009 IECC, after numerous states have adopted it,
• Is too complex – four paths instead of one, simple prescriptive path will create training, enforcement nightmare (it’s instructive that every public official witness testified IN OPPOSITIONS to EC-16).
• Trade offs silo improvements instead of complete building efficiency (by allowing a builder to trade off a better HVAC system and put it in a crappy envelope, the HVAC system has to work harder and the crappy envelope will be around for 80 years).
• There is a high probability that tougher HVAC standards from DOE will invalidate proposal and leave the ICC without a model energy code (DOE is expected to establish tougher mechanical standards by 2011-2012 – NAHB proposal relies on lower standards for its trade offs).

The committee also defeated most individual energy efficiency proposals.

The IECC Development Committee – which is now more critical because of EC-16 and because of the vote to eliminate the IRC Energy – begins tomorrow, October 28.

Click here to view the ICF International analysis of why NAHB’s EC-16 doesn’t get 30% and click here to download a .pdf document of our voting recommendations for the IRC and IECC.