2004 IECC Provides Cost Effective Energy Savings for States

States have a new opportunity to save money and protect the environment.

The latest version of the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), the code that covers energy use in buildings, is available for consideration and adoption at the state level. This improved version of the code provides states with an important tool to achieve savings on the $160 billion that American homeowners spend every year to heat, cool and light their homes. Increased energy efficiency in buildings that can be achieved by using this new code is also a means for states to reduce the 43% of total U.S. carbon emissions attributed to energy use in buildings.

The 2004 IECC includes changes designed to simplify the code and boost compliance. The most significant change is that builders no longer need to calculate the window-to-wall area ratio of a home. The new code requirements are based simply on climate zones. Builders need only look up window U-factor and insulation R-value requirements in a table and begin building. The numbers in the table reflect an increase in energy efficiency for windows and insulation, mainly in the southern part of the country.

ICF Consulting, a leading consultant to the Energy Star program, recently conducted an analysis of the cost-effectiveness of increased R-values in the code. Using the DOE2.1E simulation program, ICF ran 1.23 million simulations of home energy performance. An earlier study by PNNL that analyzed only one insulation scenario caused some confusion about the value and cost-effectiveness of this code.

Examining 324 house configurations, four wall insulation-upgrade scenarios, and five distinct climate zones, ICF found the increased insulation R-value requirements in the 2004 IECC to be a cost-effective measure for energy savings in homes. According to the extensive ICF analysis, the code can be met cost-effectively, and energy can be saved, using typical insulation products and current building practices. At least one of the wall insulation scenarios analyzed had a payback of zero years. Certain insulation scenarios were shown to offer homeowners a positive cash flow up to $89 per year; and most actually reduced the first cost of homes.

Financial savings were calculated by ICF based on an assumption of fixed fuel prices for the period of the analysis. Therefore, savings from compliance with the 2004 IECC would be even greater than those reported if fuel prices were to continue to increase, a likely scenario. Such savings will vary by climate.

To download a copy of the report summarized in this article, please use the links provided above right

For more information on the 2004 IECC, please visit the International Code Council at www.iccsafe.org

For assistance with code consideration and adoption in your state, please contact the Building Codes Assistance Project at www.bcap-energy.org