Energy Code Best Practices

1. Adoption
a. Assessing Current Policy
a. State has adopted and enforces residential and commercial building energy
codes of equivalent or greater stringency than the national model codes:
the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (2009 IECC) and
ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2007
1. State officials seek out and work with stakeholders that can assist
in pursuing legislation for the adoption of updating of an energy
code.
2. State officials understand current legislations that may be limiting
the effectiveness of the energy code.
3. The adoption and/or update of the energy code is accomplished
through a regulatory process.
b. Creating a Task force
a. The state has created a Task Force or equivalent group assigned to
adopting and/or updating the energy code.
1. The interests of all affected groups are represented by the Task
Force.
2. There is a balance of interests for builders, designers, industry and
environmental groups on the Task Force.
3. There is more than one public comment period. All comments are
carefully considered.
4. The Task Force adheres to a regular schedule and assures regular
updates to the state code.
c. Assigning Roles and Responsibilities
a. The state has an agency responsible for overseeing enforcement of the
energy code in jurisdictions that do not have sufficient infrastructure.
1. The state has assessed current infrastructure to determine need for
state assistance.
2. There is a state agency with the capacity to perform plan review
and inspection.
3. There is a mechanism to hire 3rd party inspectors to perform plan
review and inspection.
d. Review Model Legislation
a. The state gathers and assesses views and interests of the building
community as well as assigns roles to stakeholders in the compliance
infrastructure. In addition the state reviews and considers model
legislative or regulatory rulemaking language and adapts that as needed
(e.g. statute citations, authorized state agencies, etc.).
 1. Legislation or rulemaking allows for a regular review and update
cycle.
2. Adoption and revision of building energy codes corresponds with
the publication of a new edition of a national energy standard or
model energy code.

Promote Programs to Lead the Market Forward on Energy Efficiency and High Performance
Buildings

b. Your state promotes beyond code/advanced code programs.

1. Your state has advanced building programs, like Energy Star or
others promoting advanced construction techniques.
2. State programs promote the use of AEDGs or other advance
building standards or guidelines.
3. There is an active LEED or other advanced green building
program, and it is being actively promoted as policy.

2. Implementation Best Practices

Build Professional Capacity of Design Professionals and Building Trades

a. Licensing and Certification

a. The state works with design professionals and builders to improve their
familiarity with energy codes and to ensure that new residential and
commercial buildings are built to the highest standard of quality and
energy efficiency.
1. The state has a certification board or equivalent that oversees the
credentialing and continuing education credits of architects,
engineers and trades such as HVAC, Plumbing and Electric
2. Other professional organizations in the state require credentialing
of their membership.
3. Other professional organizations in the state that require
credentialing of their members include energy efficiency as a
required subject area.
4. The state requires energy code training that is specific to each
professional trade.
5. The state provides training opportunities for professional trades to
obtain and maintain credentials.
b. Community Colleges and Technical Schools
 a. The state utilizes community colleges and technical schools to effectively
providing job training, professional development, continuing education,
and retraining programs to workers.
1. The state partners with community and technical colleges to
promote energy efficiency training related to energy code
compliance.
2. The state subsidizes tuition for energy efficiency training related to
energy code compliance.

Enforcement and Infrastructure Best Practices

c. State Level Enforcement

a. The state has an enforcement strategy guided by the agency or agencies
that administer the development and adoption of the codes, and that
oversees enforcement of the energy code in jurisdictions that do not have
sufficient infrastructure.
1. Enforcement standards and criteria are set at the State level.
2. State laws governing local enforcement allow jurisdictions to
charge fees to cover the costs of enforcement and set the individual
enforcement rules at that level.
3. The state has assessed current infrastructure to determine need for
state assistance.
4. The state is fully covered by state or local-level energy code
enforcement.
5. There is a state agency with the capacity to perform plan review
and inspection.
6. There is a mechanism at the state level to hire 3rd party inspectors
to perform plan review and inspection?
b. The state assists local jurisdictions with enforcement of the energy code.
1. There are mechanisms at the local level to hire 3rd party inspectors
to perform plan review and inspection?
2. The state has requirements governing 3rd party energy code
inspectors and plan reviewers.
3. Local jurisdictions issue a “stop order” after an inspection and or
plan review reveals an energy code violation.
4. Local jurisdictions require a change order and re-review of energy
code violations.
c. The state assists local code officials with resources.
1. The state requires certified training in energy code plan review and
inspection for all code officials in charge with energy inspections.
 2. The state requires code officials to pass the ICC Energy Inspector
certification test.
3. The state requires code officials obtain ongoing Energy Code
education (CEUs).

Technical Support and Resources Best Practices

d. Training
a. The state provides both code officials and building professionals adequate
training, especially when standards change.
1. The state provides incentives for training to promote participation
(especially important given the busy schedules of contractors).
2. Code officials and contractors are required to be recertified every
few years or after energy codes are altered.
3. The state provides a calendar of events and markets this to affected
parties.
e. Code Enforcement
a. The state provides both code officials and building professionals’ adequate
training, especially when standards change.
1. The state provides assistance for plan review in complex buildings
or other specific building types.
2. The state has a certifier program.
3. The state provides compliance materials for use at the building
department level.
4. Opportunities for sharing regional resources have been
investigated and if exist, utilized
3. Materials, Equipment, Services
a. Compliance Incentives/Penalties
a. Your state provides materials, resources and services to support energy
code compliance.
1. Your state provides incentives for contractors that do well, such as
expedited permitting or reduced fees.
2. Your state has penalties for re-inspection and repeated reviews.
3. Your state seeks partnerships with manufacturers and big box
retailers to promote energy efficient products and services.
4. Your state helps to subsidize the use of handheld electronics to
facilitate building inspection.
5. Your state helps to subsidize duct blaster equipment and
equipment training.
6. Your state helps to subsidize blower door equipment and
equipment training.
 7. Your state has created a certified provider list for builders and code
officials.
8. Your state provides a program for design assistance.
4. Compliance Measurement and Verification Best Practices
a. The state has a process in place to measure and evaluate compliance.
1. The state has reviewed DOE’s guidance on measuring energy code
compliance.
2. The state has its own evaluation methodology in place or in
progress.
3. Compliance studies have been performed in the recent past or are
any currently being planned or executed.

5. Stakeholders Best Practices

a. Distribution and Regional Coordination
a. You state seeks out and participates in regional involvement, enforcement
and access to information on energy codes.
1. Your state has identified regional organizations and key
stakeholders to assist in resource distribution and code awareness.
2. Your state has a central location where stakeholders can go for
information on energy code information.
3. Your state provides a copy of the code, code commentary, and
other guides to the code enforcement community.
Participate at a National Level
b. ICC and ASHRAE Participation
a. Your state engages in the development of the national model codes and
standards and leverages the shared expertise and resources available in
national code forums.
1. Your state participates in IECC/IRC/IBC code development, shares
knowledge and experiences through ICC online forums.
2. Your state participates in ASHRAE Standard 90.1 development,
shares knowledge and experiences through the ASHRAE
membership.
3. Your state annually sends at least one representative to the DOE
codes conference.
4. The state utilizes OCEAN resources.
5. The state participates in OCEAN communities.

New Partnerships for Energy Code Compliance

c. New Partnerships for Energy Code Compliance
a. Your state has initiatives, such as climate change, air quality, water
savings, or renewable energy objectives, at the state, local or utility level.
1. The state leverages savings through energy codes to address
problems or goals regarding emissions.
2. The state has climate initiatives that can help to forge partnerships
for energy code adoption or compliance.
3. The state has goals for the use of renewable energy.
4. There is a statewide HERS Provider, and the state promoting the
health of the HERS infrastructure.
5. There is a state-supported 3rd-party agent certification
infrastructure.
6. The state is actively developing partnerships to promote advanced
programs officially through incentives and resources as well as
informally by providing partnership opportunities.