Midwest Regional Energy Codes Conference

The 1st Annual Midwest Regional Building Energy Codes Conference was held on August 31-September 1, 2010 in Chicago. It was attended by 24 guests representing state code officials, state energy officials, utility representatives, energy code advocates, manufacturers, energy efficiency program administrators, and architects.

The conference was held with the intention of developing a regional approach to promoting the adoption and improving compliance with the energy code, and bringing together stakeholders in the Midwest to focus on building energy code issues.

Conference Topics

Topics that were discussed at the 1st Annual Midwest Regional Building Energy Codes Conference included:

• Discussion of General Code Process
  Brief description of how codes are developed/adopted/enforced
• Status of National Process
  Quick overview of the ICC and ASHRAE Process. Relationship to state/local work.
• Status of Midwest States
  Review of code adoption in the Midwest states. Description of enforcement including training and certification.
• Codes Policy
  Discussion of the main aspects of energy codes policy including code development, adoption, compliance, and energy measurement.
• Adoption Goals
  Discussion of goals for adoption such as automatic adoption and stretch codes
• Adoption Barriers
  Discussion of barriers to meeting building energy code adoption goals; strategies to overcoming barriers to adoption
• Compliance Goals
  Discussion of goals for energy code compliance and compliance initiatives and pilot studies taking place in the region and nationally.
• Coordination of Initiatives
  Discussion of how work on various compliance initiatives can be coordinated to maximize benefits.
• Energy Measurement
  Discussion of how measurement of energy use works with energy codes.
• 3rd Party Inspection
  What are 3rd Party Inspectors? How can 3rd party inspections help with improving enforcement? How can it be adopted and implemented?
• Utililties & Codes
  What is the relationship between utilities and code adoption/enforcement? What is the role of utilities in code adoption/enforcement? How do we i ncorporate utility codes activies into energy efficiency programs?
• Next Steps
  Brief discussion of what future coordination activities might be, including: the institution of regular (monthly, quarterly, etc.) conference calls between conference participants and other stakeholders to discuss pressing code-related issues in the region.

Notes from the conference are available for download [pdf].

The 2nd Annual Midwest Regional Building Energy Codes Conference was held on October 5-6, 2011 in Chicago. It was attended by 42 guests representing state code officials, state energy officials, utility representatives, energy code advocates, manufacturers, energy efficiency program administrators, architects, and building trades professionals. 

The conference built on the previous year's conference and the ongoing codes developments in the region to continue to work towards developing a regional approach to promoting the adoption, implementation,  and improving compliance with building energy codes in the Midwest.

Conference Topics

The main topics that were covered over the two day conference include:

• Status of Midwest States
• 2012 IECC/ASHRAE 90.1-2010
• Utility Programs and Energy Codes
• State Compliance Pilot Studies
• Third Party Enforcement
   

Resources & Conference Materials

Reading List

• Suggested Readings and Resources [pdf]

Conference Notes

• Post-Conference Summary and Notes [pdf]

Conference Presentations

MEEA Introduction & Topics Overview

Conference Speaker Presentations

(video is available for a subset of the presentations)

• 2012 IECC / ASHRAE 90.1-2010 Panel Discussion
  • Cole - Overview of Changes to Residential and Commercial Provisions of 2012 IECC [pdf]
  • Nelson - Issues Related to Upcoming Adoption [pdf]
• Utility Programs and Energy Codes Panel Discussion
  • Cooper - Overview of Utility Codes Programs [pdf] [video]
  • Elnecave - Examples from Massachusetts and California [video]
  • Baker - Calculating Energy Savings from Codes Programs [pdf] [video]
  • Edelson - Leveraging Codes and Programs [pdf] [video]
• State Compliance Pilot Studies Panel Discussion
  • Spalding - Wisconsin 90% Energy Compliance Pilot Study [pdf] [video]
  • Bishop - Iowa Residential Energy Code Compliance Study [pdf] [video]
  • Baker - Illinois Codes Compliance Study [pdf] [video]
• Third Party Enforcement Panel Discussion
  • Bishop - Using HERS Raters in Code Compliance Work [pdf]
  • Kosarzycki - Wisconsin Experience with Third Party Enforcement [pdf] [video]

The 3rd Annual Midwest Regional Energy Codes Conference was held in Indianapolis, IN on October 3-4, 2012. This invitation-only event will brought together energy codes stakeholders from across the Midwest region to further develop a regional approach to promoting the adoption and improving compliance with the energy code.

I. State Efforts in Adopting the 2012 IECC

• Discussion of Illinois Process – Lisa Mattingly, Illinois Capital Development Board
• Discussion of Minnesota Process – Alison Lindburg, Fresh Energy

II. Specific Issues Related to Code Adoption

• Basement Insulation; Durability Issues – Pat Huelman, University of Minnesota
• Residential Ventilation – Darren Meyers, International Energy Conservation Consultants, Inc

III. Energy Code Compliance Solutions

• PNNL Process Approach to Code Enforcement – Dave Ruffcorn, Iowa Department of Public Safety

IV. Utility Programs and Codes

• California Compliance Strategies – Nehemiah Stone, Benningfield Group, Inc.
• Massachusetts Approach to Attribution – Cathy Chappell, Heschong Mahone Group, Inc.
• View From the Regulator – Bruce Nelson, Minnesota Department of Commerce

V. Building Energy Benchmarking and Rating

• Overview of Building Energy Rating – Steve Kismohr, Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance
• Overview of State Building Tracking Completed in Minnesota – Eric Rehm, Minnesota Department of Commerce
• Results from a Public Building Benchmarking Initiative in Iowa – Xiaohui Zhou, Iowa Energy Center
• Tracking Energy in the Private Sector – DOE Commercial Asset Score Pilot – Subid Wagley, United States Department of Energy
• Marketing Residential Energy Efficiency Through Greening of the MLS – Sarah Coulter, @Properties

Utility Programs and Codes

□ Utility Programs and Building Energy Codes: How utility programs can help realize the potential of building energy codes and how energy codes can help utilities achieve energy efficiency goals. (Isaac Elnecave, MEEA)

□ Enhancing Energy Code Compliance through Partnerships with Utilities. (Isaac Elnecave, MEEA; Chris Baker, The Weidt Group; Carolyn Sarno, NEEP; Puja Vohra, National Grid)

□ Integrating Codes and Standards into Electric Utility Energy Efficiency Portfolios (Adam Cooper and Lisa Wood, IEE)

□ Case Studies on SEO and Utility Involvement in Building Energy Code Programs - Washington Case Study: Utility Code Group Experience Helps Inform Other States. (NASEO)

Energy Code Compliance Solutions

□ A Comprehensive Approach to Energy Code Education (David Cohan, NEEA)

□ The Washington State Energy Code: Certification for Inspectors and Plan Reviewers for the Non-Residential Energy Code (Rick Kunkle, Washington State University)

Building Energy Benchmarking and Rating

□ Building Energy Benchmarking Final Technical Report (Dr. Xiaohui Zhou, Iowa Energy Center; Tom McDougall, The Weidt Group)

• Iowa Energy Center Final Technical Report (April 2012) describes the results from the State of Iowa public building energy benchmarking pilot project.

□ Guaranteed Energy Savings Program (Minnesota Department of Commerce)

• The State of Minnesota Department of Commerce has created a number of energy savings programs, including the Guaranteed Energy Savings Program, for state agencies and local units of government. These technical and financial assistance programs build upon their B3 Public Building Benchmarking Program and support those seeking to implement energy efficiency and/or renewable energy improvement strategies in state facilities using Energy Savings Performance Contracts.

□ Commercial Building Asset Score
□ Home Energy Score
□ Building Performance Database (US Department of Energy)

• The Department of Energy’s Building Technologies Program has developed tools for tracking energy use in commercial (Commercial Building Energy Asset Score) and residential buildings (Home Energy Score). The Building Performance Database is a means for tracking and evaluating these energy efficiency projects.

□ Green MLS Toolkit
□ Midwest Real Estate Data (National Association of REALTORS®, NAR Green REsource Council)

• The National Association of REALTORS® and NAR's Green REsource Council developed the Green MLS Tool Kit to assist communities and green building advocates to support efficient flow of green home information and value to the market. As one of the first regions to include ‘green’ data fields, the Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) is the real estate data aggregator and distributor for the Chicagoland multiple listing service (MLS).