Page 8 - Builder Brief May 2023 Issue

2023 PRESIDENT
CHALLENGES AHEAD WITH THE INTERNATIONAL ENERGY CONSERVATION CODE
We have been monitoring what is happening with the national model energy code for the past several months, and I want to share a few critical details with you as well as the current process of how codes are developed and adopted. Energy codes are national model building codes that set minimum energy efficiency standards for many components in a new home, like lights, climate systems, insulation, windows, and more. The two most widely adopted energy codes are the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) for single-family homes and ASHRAE’s Energy Standard for buildings (except for low-rise residential buildings)
The International Code Council (ICC) developed and published the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), and this is the blueprint for making residential and commercial buildings more energy efficient. All building codes are updated every three years under ICC’s governmental consensus process, and after the codes are published by the ICC, they are adopted by state and local jurisdictions.
The City of San Antonio recently adopted the 2021 IECC, and we are hearing from our builder members that there are serious challenges to the new energy code requirements. The 2021 energy code update is cause for serious concern for the residential building industry because multiple code changes were approved that will increase the cost of a new home by up to $10,000 with only modest savings to the consumer. Some of the new requirements have payback periods of over 100 years.
Unfortunately, special interest groups manipulated the ICC’s governmental online consensus vote AFTER several code changes were twice rejected during the code development process. Because of this, the ICC is reevaluating its code update procedures. There needs to be a change to the standards development process, and the committee needs to be balanced and include building code officials, efficiency advocates, AND builders. The process needs to be inclusive with full transparency because the current code development process was easily manipulated with conflict and confrontation.
We all understand that we need to reduce the carbon footprint of the built environment, but we must take a new approach. We are in a housing affordability crisis that is squeezing middle-class families out of the market and exacerbating the homeless crisis. And to make matters worse, there is more than $1.2 billion being offered to states and local jurisdictions to adopt the more stringent energy codes.
It is important for us to stress to our state and local jurisdictions that there is no need to update the energy codes, especially in Texas. It is interesting to note that over the past 20 years, energy consumption by new homes has been reduced by nearly 50 percent. Future gains in efficiency, like integrating renewables and advancing electrification, need
SHAD SCHMID
a new approach. We will continue to keep you updated on the actions the ICC is taking, and we will communicate our position to the municipalities that our members are building and developing in.
Some good news is that data continues to show easing inflation, not at the rate we would hope for, but signs suggest that the Federal Reserve is near the end of its tightening cycle, which should put us on the path to rebound later this year and projections show that we should have an incredible year in 2024. Additional housing supply should help us tame housing inflation too.
We continue to work diligently on critical issues affecting the residential construction industry. Please don’t hesitate to call on me or a member of the leadership team if we can help you in any way. I hope to see you at the Membership Mixer on Thursday, May 11th at 5pm at BBQ Outfitters (4519 N Loop 1604 West Access Rd.).
Sincerely,
8 MAY 2023 | GREATER SAN ANTONIO BUILDERS ASSOCIATION