Section
101
-
Amends the Energy Conservation and Production Act (ECPA) to direct the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to:
(1) support the development and updating of national model building energy codes for residential and commercial buildings;
(2) encourage and support the adoption by states, Indian tribes, and local governments of building energy codes that meet or exceed the national codes; and
(3) support full compliance with state and local codes.
Requires the Secretary to work with states, Indian tribes, local governments, and nationally recognized code and standards developers to support the updating of such codes by establishing aggregate energy savings targets.
Authorizes the Secretary to establish separate targets for commercial and residential buildings.
Establishes as the baseline for updating such codes the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) for residential buildings and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Standard 90.1-2010 for commercial buildings.
Requires targets for specific years to be established and revised by the Secretary and coordinated with nationally recognized code and standards developers at a level that:
(1) is at the maximum level of energy efficiency that is technologically feasible and life-cycle cost effective, while accounting for economic considerations;
(2) is higher than the preceding target; and
(3) promotes the achievement of high-performance buildings through high performance energy efficiency.
Requires the Secretary to establish initial targets within a year.
Requires the Secretary to develop and adjust such targets in recognition of potential savings and costs relating to:
(1) efficiency gains made in appliances, lighting, windows, insulation, and building envelope sealing;
(2) advancement of distributed generation and on-site renewable power generation technologies;
(3) equipment improvements for heating, cooling, and ventilation systems;
(4) building management systems and SmartGrid technologies to reduce energy use; and
(5) other technologies, practices, and building systems that the Secretary considers appropriate regarding building plug load and other energy uses.
Requires the Secretary to consider the economic feasibility of achieving such targets and the potential costs and savings for consumers and building owners.
Requires the Secretary to provide technical assistance to model code-setting and standard development organizations, states, and Indian tribes.
Requires the Secretary, if the provisions of the IECC or ASHRAE Standard 90.1 regarding building energy use are revised, to make a final determination within a year after such revision on whether the revision will improve energy efficiency in buildings compared to the existing national model building energy code and meet such targets.
Establishes the revised IECC or ASHRAE Standard 90.1 as the relevant national model building energy code if:
(1) the Secretary's determination is affirmative, or
(2) the applicable target has not been established.
Requires the Secretary to publish notice of such targets, determinations, and codes and provide an opportunity for public comment.
Requires the Secretary, if the revised IECC or ASHRAE Standard 90.1 does not meet such targets, to establish a modified national model building code that meets such targets and achieves the maximum level of energy savings that is technologically feasible and life-cycle cost-effective while accounting for the economic considerations.
Sets forth provisions concerning requirements for states and Indian tribes to certify whether:
(1) they have updated their codes,
(2) their codes meet the national model building energy code or achieve equivalent or greater energy savings, and
(3) they have achieved full compliance with building energy codes.
Requires the Secretary to report annually on:
(1) the status of national model building energy codes,
(2) the status of code adoption and compliance by states and Indian tribes,
(3) implementation of such updated codes, and
(4) improvements in energy savings over time as a result of such targets.
Directs the Secretary to provide incentive funding to states and Indian tribes to:
(1) implement this Act's requirements,
(2) improve and implement building energy codes, and
(3) promote building energy efficiency through the use of such codes.
Requires the Secretary to provide technical and financial support for the development of stretch codes and advanced standards for buildings for use as:
(1) an option for adoption as a building energy code by local, tribal, or state governments; and
(2) guidelines for energy-efficient building design.
Requires such stretch codes and advanced standards to be designed to:
(1) achieve substantial energy savings compared to the national model building energy codes; and
(2) meet such targets, if available, at least three to six years in advance of such target years.
Requires the Secretary to study the feasibility, impact, economics, and merit of:
(1) code improvements that would require that buildings be designed, sited, and constructed in a manner that makes the buildings more adaptable in the future to become zero-net-energy buildings after initial construction;
(2) code procedures to incorporate measured lifetimes, not just first-year energy use, in trade-offs and performance calculations; and
(3) legislative options for increasing energy savings from building energy codes, including additional incentives for effective state and local action, and verification of compliance with and enforcement of a code other than by a state or local government.
Prohibits any model building code or standard established under this Act from being binding on a state, local government, or Indian tribe.
Extends the authorization of appropriations for updating state building energy efficiency codes.