In September, officials from towns and cities across the country will be coming together to make one of the most significant energy decisions of 2008. They’ll be creating the 2009 IECC—the model building code most states use to shape how new homes are constructed.
We’re working with the Energy Efficient Codes Coalition (EECC) to update the model code so that new homes that follow its guidelines will be 30 percent more energy efficient—we call it the 30 Percent Solution. All of the changes are things that many builders are already doing: using better insulation and windows, stopping leaking air, and installing more efficient lights and furnaces.
The EECC, a broad coalition of regional energy efficiency networks, environmental groups, utilities and businesses, developed the 30 Percent Solution in response to calls for an improved energy code from bodies such as the Western Governors Association, US Department of Energy, National Petroleum Council, American Institute of Architects, and Mayors for Climate Protection.
These modern buildings will save huge amounts of energy, and save their owners hundreds of dollars in energy costs every year. And, because buildings stay with us for decades, making these changes now lowers the amount of energy our country uses through the middle of this century.
If we make the codes 30 percent more efficient for all buildings by 2010, 50 percent more efficient in 2020, and adopt and enforce the codes everywhere, we’ll save enough energy to reduce our projected energy use for the entire country 2 percent in 2030. This would lower our annual global warming emissions by 41 million metric tons and save Americans $25 billion in energy costs every single year.
If we don’t improve the codes, we’ll be stuck with energy-wasting, inefficient buildings for decades to come. They’ll eat up trillions of gallons of natural gas and countless kilowatt hours of electricity, adding to the burden on our strained fuel supply. And they’ll keep contributing unnecessary global warming pollution, year after year.
That’s why we’re calling on mayors and governors to send their code officials to vote for the 30 Percent Solution in September, and to pledge to adopt and enforce the 2009 IECC once it’s published. It’s the first step toward making our buildings zero-energy.
Click here to go to the EECC's 30 Percent Solution website.
