With the passage of House Bill 803, the State of Louisiana updated their energy code to the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) for residential and commercial buildings. With Louisiana’s adoption, 61.5 million Americans will now be covered by the 2021 IECC, marking a significant milestone for the International Code Council’s Code on a Mission campaign.
The Code Council’s Code on a Mission challenge, launched in 2021, aims to get more than one-third of the U.S. population (115 million Americans) covered by energy codes that meet or exceed the 2021 IECC by the end of 2023. The challenge was issued to highlight the role that buildings play in meeting community energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goals and the power of energy codes in helping meet those goals. The 2021 IECC is particularly impactful as the U.S. Department of Energy found that it provides a 9.4 percent improvement in energy savings and an 8.7 percent reduction in GHGs over the 2018 edition—a nearly 40 percent improvement since the 2006 edition. The 2021 IECC saves homeowners an average of $2,320 over the life of a typical mortgage.
“The Code Council is dedicated to supporting jurisdictions in meeting their energy and decarbonization goals through a variety of tools including the IECC,” said Code Council Chief Executive Officer Dominic Sims, CBO. “Energy codes continue to be an essential tool for communities to achieve their energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reduction goals.”
In addition to energy efficiency improvements, the 2021 IECC contains updated provisions that improve usability and support communities interested in pursuing zero-energy buildings through new appendices. Communities that regularly adopt the IECC save money for residents and businesses and improve community health and resilience.
Other states that have adopted a base or stretch energy code equivalent to the 2021 IECC include California, Maine, Montana, Nevada, Vermont, and Washington. There are also a host of jurisdictions who have updated their energy code to the 2021 IECC including Larimer County, Colorado; more than 20 cities in Texas; and the cities of Cave Creek and Chandler in Arizona. Additionally, the U.S. federal government has incorporated requirements from the 2021 IECC into design requirements for its own buildings and for federally-regulated manufactured housing. More jurisdictions are expected to adopt the 2021 IECC over the next year.
In support of the Code on a Mission challenge, the Code Council has developed a suite of resources to assist jurisdictions in their efforts to adopt updated energy codes located on a dedicated webpage. To support tracking, jurisdictions are encouraged to share their adoptions of a code that meets or exceeds the requirements of the 2021 IECC through the campaign’s submission form.
Source: International Code Council
