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Why Adopt Energy Codes?

Energy efficiency is often acknowledged as the quickest, cheapest and cleanest way
to reduce energy use and lower greenhouse gas emissions, and nowhere is this
more apparent than with the building sector. In the United States, buildings ac-
count for 70 percent of electricity use and almost 40 percent of total energy use.
Moreover, the average lifespan of a building is roughly 50 years (and many last two
or three times that), meaning that building energy policies today will affect building
energy usage until 2059 and beyond. It is imperative, therefore, that we take ad-
vantage of this largely untapped source for energy savings. Simply put, building
energy codes are the quickest, cheapest and cleanest way to improve energy effi-
ciency in the building sector and should be a critical component of any comprehen-
sive national or international policy to achieve a sustainable and prosperous future.

The benefits of adopting and implementing building energy codes affect our world
on the individual, societal and global levels, and their long-term policy implica-
tions—on issues ranging from sustainable growth and climate protection to global
health and energy security—are significant and widespread. The primary function
of energy codes, of course, is to reduce building energy consumption, which re-
duces global greenhouse gas emissions and pollution from the burning of fossil fu-
Courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons,
els. However, it also lessons national peak energy demand and dependency on im-
Credit
ported energy sources, which increases utility system reliability and national en-
ergy security, respectively. Moreover, energy codes create a more comfortable living and working environment through im-
proved indoor air quality, and they help occupants save money by reducing energy bills, which stimulates the economy.

Building science research indicates that the adoption and enforcement of modern energy codes could save upwards of 330 tril-
lion BTUs by 2030, almost two percent of current total residential energy consumption. Yet this assumes that codes will not
advance during next two decades. One additional and often overlooked benefit of energy codes is that they raise awareness
among the building design and construction communities of the importance of energy efficiency. This, in turn, increases these
groups’ ability and willingness to incorporate energy-saving features in their work and support voluntary above-code and
“green” building programs. Essentially, by raising the floor for energy efficient design and construction, energy codes help raise
the ceiling, which accelerates and strengthens the impact of each of the aforementioned benefits of energy efficient buildings.

While they represent just over one percent of the total building stock in any given year, new buildings offer the best opportu-
nity to improve building energy efficiency because new construction is the most cost-effective point in the life of a building to
establish minimum energy efficiency features. Many of the components of a building that benefit from energy efficiency meas-
ures—such as HVAC systems and the building envelope—are difficult to access after initial construction, significantly raising the
cost and complexity of energy efficiency upgrades in existing buildings. Furthermore, buildings ideally function as an integrated
system in which all parts work together. Thus, it is difficult and often impossible to achieve the same level of efficiency retroac-
tively. With the highest potential for energy savings at the lowest possible costs compared to future renovations, energy codes
offer the best possible outcome for building professionals and occupants alike. Standards for new construction are particularly
relevant in low- and middle-income nations in which new buildings comprise a larger percentage of total building stock.
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