Page 55 - Green Builder January 2017 Issue

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Award-Winning Coverage of Sustainable Construction, Products and Lifestyles

Business as usual. THE CODE ROADMAP November/December 2016 / www.greenbuildermedia.com
Most of the items kihTseahgyseobppiunauisglbsdtleiiodnc,gpcarocnimnodtdm.feiHencenahrtlaedpn’sehgcwaeisshseiatoohtnfaysttowhwueiinll2lleb0aee1fdf8metIcoaEtdCktenhCoaehswientaahdrbiuisnositgusrsstyu.e
discussed as possible
changes in our
November issue
came to fruition.

This differed from the opinions of the public 11/15/16 12:57 PM
comment hearing participants.
It is our hope that the ICC Board will honor the action of its members
¦¦ Cross-laminated timber was denied entry into the by allowing the public comment hearing and online voting results
mass wall definition. to stand. It is certainly clear to those paying attention that more
needs to be done to conserve and protect one of our planet’s most
¦¦ A cavity-only wall insulation option was added essential resources. GB
to the prescriptive table R402.1.2 for climate zones
6-8. While it passed the public comment hearings, Mike Collignon is the executive director and co-founder of the
it did not pass the online vote. Green Builder Coalition.

¦¦ An attempt was made to add climate zone 0 COURTESY OF
to Table R402.1.2 and Table R406.4 to be consistent
with ASHRAE Standard 169-2013, Climatic Data for Building DesignC1 GB 1116 Cover.indd 1 The Green Builder® Coalition
Standards, but online voters rejected it.
The Green Builder ® Coalition is a not-for-profit association
¦¦ A proposal to improve U-factors for fenestration in climate zones dedicated to amplifying the voice of green builders
3-8, which was supported by the energy efficiency community and and professionals, driving advocacy and education for
the WDMA, was approved at the hearings but disapproved by online more sustainable homebuilding practices.
voters. For more information, visit GreenBuilderCoalition.org

One proposal in the commercial energy code caught our eye: For more information, contact Executive Director Mike Collignon at
CE175-16, which called for showerhead flow rates not to exceed 2.0 mcollignon@greenbuildercoalition.org.
gpm at 80 psi. This proposal had two parts: one for commercial and
one for residential. The commercial code proposal passed, while the
residential proposal did not. However, this entire proposal has a sense
of uncertainty hanging over it. According to the ICC:

“This code change proposal addresses the scope and application of the
International Energy Code and the International Plumbing Code. The
action taken at the Committee Action Hearing on this proposal coupled
with the final action taken at the 2016 Public Comment Hearings and
OGCV will be limited to an advisory recommendation to the ICC Board
of Directors who will determine the final disposition on this proposed
change in accordance with Section 1.3 of CP 28, which stipulates that
the ICC Board of Directors determines the scope of the I-Codes.”

The topic of water efficiency is a political football of sorts. It seems
to be tossed around from the IPC to the IgCC to the IECC. Amazingly,
this vital topic has never really found a home within the I-Codes.

www.greenbuildermedia.com January/February 2017 GREEN BUILDER 53