Download The Role of the U.S. Code Enforcement Profession Includes Energy

The Role of the U.S. Code Enforcement Profession Includes Energy Efficiency
In order to corroborate the title of this article, some general explanation and background may be helpful: On an annual basis, buildings in the United States consume 39 percent of America's energy and 68 percent of its electricity. Note also that the energy combusted to heat, cool, illuminate and operate these buildings emits nearly 38 percent of the carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas (GHG), 49 percent of the sulfur dioxide, and 25 percent of the nitrogen oxides found in the air we breathe (see EPA Endangerment Finding). Accordingly, the role of building codes (in general) is as “minimum standards of construction practice” for preserving the life safety, health and welfare of the public (our communities) in the built environment. Case in point, when buildings don’t fail, building officials, code administrators and fire marshals are, indeed, doing their job well, and no one complains, much less—no one notices. However, when buildings fail prematurely due to natural hazards such as, seismic/wind/flood/fire events, which were foreseen, the event is catastrophic. Notwithstanding building codes as minimum standards, the world, and what we as consumers derive from it, has become increasingly focused on issues of energy independence and energy (in‐) security, along with the impact these growing realities have on human health and the quality of life in our communities—comprised of the buildings in which we live, sleep, work, and play in for almost 80% of our daily lives. Therefore, energy codes and standards regulating the efficient application of energy‐using systems in the built environment were conceived (circa 1973) to establish a fundamental baseline level of energy performance in buildings for state and local governments to adopt because: •
Energy consumption creates effects beyond the boundaries of the local government within which the energy is consumed because the production of power occurs in centralized locations; •
Emissions from energy consumption affect the health of our citizenry locally; •
The strain on the national grid from peak electric power demand is not confined to jurisdictional boundaries; •
There is local, statewide and national interest in the reliability of the electrical grid as well as an adequate supply of heating oil and natural gas; and •
Controlling energy costs for residents and businesses within our community furthers a local, statewide and national interest in a strong economy and reduced cost of housing. Put into perspective another way, in maintaining the general welfare of the public, simply by applying the fundamental tenets of energy code enforcement, it turns out we can effect improvements to our local economies and climate. For instance, it is a consensus opinion that the 2009 IECC will save 13‐15% more energy than its predecessor edition, the 2006 IECC. All else being equal, a single‐family home constructed to the 2009 IECC will save, say 15% more in annual energy costs compared to a similarly‐situated home constructed to the 2006 IECC. Say heating costs for the month of December total $300.00. Given this relatively simple example, a family might see a savings of up to $45.00/month, or nearly $180.00 over the winter months. Such savings could be stowed under the mattress for a rainy day, pay for a movie or a family‐night out to eat, but more importantly, reinvested in the local economy. Through cooperative enforcement of energy conservation codes throughout the U.S., the building construction, design and regulatory communities are, in fact, indirectly improving the public health of our citizens, especially in urban population centers, by deferring the GHG emissions and ground level ozone (i.e., smog) produced by consuming (combusting) fossil‐fuels to heat, cool, power, and illuminate buildings. The latest assessment from the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), the Global Climate Change Impacts in the U.S., states that “Climate change poses unique challenges to human health…. There are direct health impacts from heat waves and severe storms, ailments caused or exacerbated by air pollution and airborne allergens, and many climate‐sensitive infectious diseases.” Prolonged exposure to poor air quality can result in illness and death due to respiratory illness, heat‐ and weather‐related stress and disease carried by insects. These health issues are likely to have the greatest impact on our most vulnerable communities, including children, older adults, those with serious health conditions and the most economically disadvantaged. In turn, it could be said that the cooperative enforcement of energy conservation codes curb incidents of respiratory illness, heat‐ and weather‐related stressors. The IECC does this through four fundamental tenants of building efficiency amounting to energy conserving opportunities in the design and installation of building envelope, mechanical, lighting and service water heating systems for human comfort purposes. Different from the being a “minimum code” designed to preserve the built environment and the occupants therein from the natural environment (i.e., hazards such as wind, flood, snow, heat, cold, seismic and fire), the Code Council’s International Green Construction Code (IGCC) initiative commits to safeguarding the environment, (along with the health, safety and welfare of building occupants) by reducing the negative potential impacts and increase the positive potential impacts of the built environment on the natural environment and building occupants through: •
The conservation of natural resources, materials and energy; •
The employment of renewable energy technologies, indoor and outdoor air quality; and •
Improved building operations, maintenance and owner responsibility. Bottom‐line, State’s commitment, and that of the Code Council, to provide FREE training and education programs on the 2009 IECC through a grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, should be embraced as in current economy as an unprecedented opportunity for job preservation and job development in the construction and enforcement industry. Darren B. Meyers, PE, CEM, GBE | Technical Director ‐ Energy Programs | Architectural & Engineering Services |
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