Page 17 - Green Builder November Issue Codes Update

Codes: The Road Ahead
Despite the change in federal leadership, the multi-tiered adoption
of energy codes suggests that the new administration is more likely

to act as a speed bump than a major detour.

Building codes, particularly those aimed at energy
efficiency, play an increasingly important role in the
building industry. You might think that with the
election of an anti-regulatory President and Congress,
code upgrades will slow to a crawl. This is not
necessarily the case. Building codes are adopted at
the state level, then morphed into something else at
the local level. Local jurisdictions (and local politicians)
have a lot of control. The question then, is whether
the administration selected by about one-fourth
of the electorate are the prevailing views of local
politicians and citizens. In our view, fiscal prudence
will continue to drive the code discussion. Efforts to
reduce energy waste are likely to continue, driven on
by utilities and cities that can’t afford to build more
infrastructure. In our special report on the 2018 IECC
hearings and their likely impact, you’ll learn about the
many types of code changes being suggested in the
newest version. Homes will be built more efficiently,
and as more states adopt the new codes, the bar
will be raised. The only real wild card is how quickly
states will adopt newer versions of the IECC. That
timeline may be slightly impacted by what happens
in Washington, but that’s par for the course.