IV. Barrier: Codes and standards need continuous improvement

Once a new building is constructed, it’s expensive and often impossible to achieve the energy efficiency that can be built in so economically at the time of construction – an opportunity we can’t afford to lose. Standards for appliances and equipment set the bar for minimum efficiency levels and are increasingly important since more and more of our energy use in buildings comes from appliances and equipment. The beauty of energy codes and equipment efficiency standards is that the savings are pretty much hard-wired; done right, they require no additional consumer effort while delivering predictable savings.

Good codes and standards also help fix one of the major barriers to saving energy – the “hassle factor.” Household appliance decisions are often made in a rush when water heaters, furnaces or refrigerators break. Building engineers replace broken equipment as quickly as possible and may not spend time researching energy consumption. Good standards mean only energy efficient appliances are available. Voila! No research required!

Of course, there are obstacles to the effectiveness of codes and standards.

Code changes can mean some additional costs. When Washington and Oregon strengthened their residential energy codes to require more efficient windows, the cost of building a new home went up $400 on average. Commercial lighting code changes caused a similar cost increase. Fortunately, the market has caught up to the code, so there’s no longer any price differential.

Technology is changing quickly – making it hard for codes and standards to keep up. Televisions, for instance, have evolved to energy intensive flat panels and now consume about 43% more energy than conventional tube TVs (albeit in part because they are on more and they are bigger.) TVs now account for about 10% of household energy use; only California is nearing energy efficiency standards.

Compliance is good . . . and should be better. According to the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, energy code compliance in Oregon and Washington buildings is an impressive 85%—among the best in the country. But that also means that we’re losing out on important savings in the 15% of buildings that are out of compliance.

And, it’s not a given that the region will maintain good compliance rates. With every code change, it takes time for building designers and code officials to learn the ins and outs of new codes. Some smaller jurisdictions find they don’t have the resources and technical expertise to adequately review large and complex projects. In addition, funding for educating and training the building industry and code enforcement officials isn’t always certain. In Washington, funding for the State Building Code Council – responsible for developing, adopting and evaluating all state building codes – is provided by building permit fees that haven’t increased in 27 years.

Are new regulations ever easy? Whether the subject is energy codes or federal efficiency standards, our political culture tends to resist regulation. Resistance is usually about who pays and who benefits: tighter rules can mean new costs to builders or manufacturers while end users reap the benefits through lower energy bills. Sometimes the resistance is about costs, and sometimes the barrier is a combination of inertia, an anti-regulatory environment and a lack of understanding of the longer-term economic and environmental benefits of energy efficiency.

The Solution: Facts, enforcement and a little persuasion

Confront resistance with facts. One regional code expert says the most effective strategy is to have solid research that quantifies the performance of specific measures, with detailed cost-benefit analyses. Just as important is conducting evaluation studies of previous code changes. Not only can evaluations improve current energy code delivery and cut costs, they can bolster arguments for future code improvements.

The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance is a good resource for local and state governments seeking help with energy codes and appliance efficiency standards. The Appliance Standards Awareness Project is a helpful resource for information on federal and state efficiency standards.

Make compliance a reality. Cities and counties are responsible for energy code enforcement, so officials can bolster energy savings by directing their building departments to make energy code compliance a priority. NEEA has made codes a high priority, offering education and training for building professionals and officials on existing codes, as well as participating in the state code adoption processes across the region.

Most utilities are counting on energy efficiency to help meet load growth so they also have a stake in good energy code compliance. There are a variety of ways that utilities can help make a difference: for example, Seattle City Light helps pay for energy code experts in Seattle’s building department. And in the Puget Sound region, some utilities are discussing how they might join forces to work together with local governments and builders so there’s a better understanding of the importance of the energy code.

Adopt appliance and equipment energy efficiency standards for more products. Appliance and equipment standards help align consumer and manufacturer interests. From refrigerators to heat pumps, federal appliance and equipment standards are responsible for 20% of overall savings from all energy efficiency policies adopted from the 1970s to 2000, according to the National Commission on Energy Policy. At least 25 new federal energy efficiency standards for consumer lighting, residential furnaces and household appliances are slated to be revamped over the next four years. And Northwest states can follow California’s lead in adopting efficiency standards for new TVs—the next great energy saving frontier.