BUILDING CODES

& ENERGY EFFICIENCY:

NEVADA
Updated September 14, 2010
ECONOMIC BENEFITS

Consumers save money by reducing utility bills,

minimizing the negative impacts of fluctuations in
energy supply and cost, and by conserving available
energy resources. Retail and office buildings con-
structed to meet the requirements of the IECC can
be over 30 percent more energy efficient than
typical buildings not constructed to meet national
model energy standards.

Monetary savings derived from codes increase a

B
uildings account for roughly 40 percent of the consumer's purchasing power, and help expand the
total energy use in the United States and 70 state’s economy by keeping local dollars in Nevada.
percent of its electricity use, representing a sig-
nificant opportunity for energy savings. Energy effi- BUILDING INDUSTRY BENEFITS
ciency – through the adoption and enforcement of
strong building energy codes – is the quickest, cheap- The national model code, the 2009 IECC, offers
est, and cleanest way to reduce energy consumption flexibility to Nevada builders and design profession-
and achieve a sustainable, prosperous future. For Ne- als, allowing them to optimize the cost-
vada, the next step should be the adoption of the latest effectiveness of energy efficient features in their
U.S. model residential and commercial energy codes – building products, and to satisfy a variety of con-
the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code sumer preferences.
(2009 IECC) and ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2007.
The 2009 IECC also simplifies guidelines for build-
In February 2009, the American Recovery and Rein- ers, providing a uniform code across the state with
vestment Act (Recovery Act) – federal legislation ap- multiple options for compliance.
propriating funds for a variety of state economic initia-
Uniformity throughout Nevada will enable local ju-
tives – allocated $3.1 billion for the U.S. Department
risdictions to pool limited resources and combine
of Energy (DOE) State Energy Program (SEP) to assist
personnel to form county-wide, regional, and state-
states with building energy efficiency efforts. As a
wide enforcement and educational programs.
condition of accepting $34.7 million1 in SEP funding,
Gov. Jim Gibbons certified to DOE2 that Nevada UTILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS
would implement energy standards of equal or greater
stringency than the latest national model codes and Energy codes improve the energy efficiency per-
achieve 90 percent compliance in new and renovated formance of new buildings and reduce demand on
residential and commercial building space by 2017. power generators, therefore improving the air qual-
ity of local communities throughout Nevada.
Nevada must now start laying the groundwork to suc-
cessfully implement the building energy code plans Electricity use is a leading generator of air pollution.
submitted to DOE. It is in Nevada’s best economic in- Rising power demand increases emissions of sul-
terest to adopt the 2009 IECC and Standard 90.1- fur dioxide, nitrous oxides and carbon dioxide. En-
2007 statewide and begin the construction of a more ergy codes are a proven, cost-effective means for
efficient building sector. addressing these and other environmental impacts.

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Washington, DC 20036
www.bcap-ocean.org
 A MODEL STATE ENERGY CODE FOR NEVADA
primary energy source for home heating. Coal supplied
primarily from Arizona and Utah provides about two-
fifths of the state’s electricity.6
Amidst growing residential and commercial energy de-
mand, Nevada’s building sector bears comparatively
high energy costs, paying the 15th-highest residential
electricity prices (about 10 percent above the national
average in fall 2009)7 and the 11th-highest overall energy
prices (about 15 percent above the national average)8,
making the state quite vulnerable to future fluctua-
tions in energy costs and peak demand. Reducing local
demand for electricity and natural gas will decrease costs
for consumers and increase profits for businesses.
Sunrise over Reno, Nevada (Credit—Creative Commons)

N
AN UNTAPPED RESOURCE
evada has a nominal statewide energy code
based on the 2003 IECC. This code, however, With energy prices projected to rise sharply over the me-
has not been actively supported or enforced dium- and long-term, reducing Nevada’s energy demand
by the state. Jurisdictions in the southern and northern will also enhance the state’s energy security and
halves of the state, though, have adopted regional energy stimulate its economy.
codes based on the 2006 IECC.3
A limited DOE analysis of the changes from the state's
In May 2009, Gov. Jim Gibbons signed SB 73 into law, current residential code to the 2009 IECC resulted in
establishing the standards adopted by the Nevada State estimated energy savings of 13 to 17 percent, or $205
Office of Energy as the minimum standards for building to $252 a year for an average new house at recent fuel
energy efficiency and conservation. The Office of En- prices.9 Another DOE analysis of the changes from the
ergy must adopt the most recent version of the IECC, state's current commercial code to Standard 90.1-2007
and the law requires local governments to adopt these estimates energy savings of 3 to 6 percent.10
codes and enforce them.4
Energy codes also offer large-scale gains. BCAP esti-
The 2009 IECC and Standard 90.1-2007 improve sub- mates that if Nevada began implementing the 2009
stantially upon the state’s codes and provide a simpler, IECC and Standard 90.1-2007 statewide in 2011
uniform path to benefit Nevada households and busi- (making incremental steps toward 90 percent compli-
nesses through lower utility costs, increased comfort, and ance in 2017), the state would realize substantial sav-
better economic opportunity.5 Nevada can demonstrate ings over BCAP’s business-as-usual scenario:
leadership on energy efficiency issues by regularly im-
proving the state energy code (in coordination with the By 2030, $302 million in annual energy cost savings for
three-year model code update cycles, as SB 73 man- households and businesses, or $2.6 billion from 2011-30.
dates4), thereby ensuring the consistency and ongoing
enhancement of model building practice. By 2030, annual CO2 emissions reductions of 1.5 million
metric tons, or 13 million from 2011-30.
ENERGY CONSUMPTION, PRICES & SUPPLIES
By 2030, residential sector source energy savings of 9
Nevada is rich in renewable energy potential but has percent, representing annual savings of 13 trillion Btu.
few fossil energy resources. Natural gas powers more
than half of the state’s electricity generation, and over By 2030, commercial sector source energy savings of 13
one-half of Nevada households use natural gas as their percent, representing annual savings of 14 trillion Btu.
** NOTES ** For more information, please visit www.bcap-ocean.org
1
US DOE (http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/news/progress_alerts.cfm/pa_id=215) keyid=18&orderid=1)
2 8
US DOE (http://www.energy.gov/media/Gibbons_Nevada.pdf) US EIA (http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/states/sep_sum/html/pdf/rank_pr.pdf)
3 9
BCAP (http://bcap-energy.org/node/81) US DOE (http://www.energycodes.gov/implement/state_codes/reports/residential/
4
BCAP (http://bcap-energy.org/node/432) Residential_Nevada.pdf)
5 10
BCAP (http://bcap-energy.org/node/330) US DOE (http://www.energycodes.gov/implement/state_codes/reports/commercial/
6
US EIA (http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/state/state_energy_profiles.cfm?sid=NV) Commercial_Nevada.pdf)
7
US EIA (http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/state/state_energy_rankings.cfm?

1850 M St. NW Suite 600

Washington, DC 20036
www.bcap-ocean.org