The Building Energy Efficiency Code Network (BEECN) launches today with an announcement at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Representatives from private companies, energy-efficiency promoters, and industry trade groups comprise the coalition, which organizers say, “will mount an integrated national campaign comprised of advocacy and educational outreach initiatives that spotlight the role dynamic codes play in boosting energy efficiency of buildings, America’s largest users – and wasters – of energy; and spotlight building codes as our nation’s most affordable and readily-available solution for enhancing national energy security, strengthening our economy, and tackling climate change.
“Until we adopt robust building codes across the nation, each new energy-inefficient building will be a lost opportunity that will erode our economic and environmental well-being for generations.”
The group says that contractors and other businesses are already installing highly energy-efficient heating and cooling systems and are ahead of the curve. It’s regulators that need to catch up.
BEECN cites these specific benefits for the United States:
All buyers of new homes benefit from enhanced comfort, higher property values, and savings on monthly utility bills that more than offset any small additions to mortgage payments.
Low-income homeowners benefit from greater stability in utility bills, increasing the likelihood that they can avoid foreclosure due to unpredictable utility price spikes – the second leading cause of foreclosures.
Builders benefit by offering homes that buyers want. On average, green builders are weathering the current housing slump better than other builders.
States and local communities benefit from improved air quality and reduced stress on their electric grids and natural gas supplies.
Manufacturers and businesses benefit from using and paying for less energy, putting downward pressure on energy demand and energy prices. In addition, as buildings become more efficient and less polluting (currently buildings are America’s largest source of greenhouse gas emissions), compliance costs for reducing emissions will be lessened in other economic sectors.
Workers benefit as spending on home construction shifts from materials to labor. An analysis by the Institute for Market Transformation found that boosting residential codes by 30% would create thousands of new construction and other jobs.
The environment benefits from reduced greenhouse gas emissions, avoided electricity generation, and lower fossil fuel consumption.
The nation benefits from enhanced energy independence.
Coalition members include:
Kateri Callahan , President, Alliance to Save Energy
James Rogers , President/CEO, Duke Energy
Wesley Warren , Director of Programs, Natural Resources Defense Council
Marty Durbin , Vice President, American Chemistry Council
Faren Dancer , Home Builder, Owner, Sundancer Creations
In a separate announcement in late May, the Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) announced its opposition to the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (ACES) because it allows for localized standards.
"In its current form, the ACES Act would effectively allow any jurisdiction in the nation to enact its own energy policy through the use of prescriptive building codes, severely impacting the ability of heating, air conditioning, and commercial refrigeration manufacturers to provide products to residential and commercial customers in the most timely, efficient, and economical way," says AHRI President Stephen Yurek. "Allowing any building code, anywhere in the country, to specify an efficiency level for residential and commercial heating, cooling, and commercial refrigeration equipment would quite simply create marketing and distribution chaos for our member companies, distributors, and contractors, in addition to threatening thousands of American jobs at a time of economic turmoil and high unemployment.” Yurek stated that AHRI much prefers the Senate's approach to decreasing energy intensity. www.ahrinet.org
