The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $90 million for 25 projects across the country to help states, cities, Tribal Nations, and their partners adopt and successfully implement updated energy codes for residential and commercial buildings.
Building energy codes establish energy efficiency standards for new buildings, additions, and major renovations. According to the DOE, modern codes are some of the most effective ways to improve efficiency, save consumers and businesses money, and reduce climate impacts. Building energy codes also ensure buildings are healthier, safer, and more resilient, especially during and after extreme weather and power outages.
The DOE estimates that from 2010 through 2040, energy codes are expected to save Americans $182 billion on utility bills and reduce 900 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions—an amount roughly equivalent to the combined annual emissions of 187 million gasoline-powered cars.
Winning Projects
This is the second round of funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Resilient and Efficient Codes Implementation (RECI) program; last year, the DOE awarded $90 million for 27 projects.
The latest round of selected projects include:
- Regional Energy Efficiency Organizations, Tribal Homeownership Coalition of the Southwest, Maine Governor’s Energy Office, and Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection will establish a new rural codes collaborative, which will provide a forum and tailored programming to help overcome barriers to successfully implement energy codes and efficiency programs in rural and Tribal communities across the country, bringing energy cost savings to rural communities and improving safety. (Award amount: $3.6 million)
- Slipstream, Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan, and the Bay Mills Indian Community will work closely with Tribal Nations in Michigan to provide training and resources to assist with code adoption and implementation, as well as innovative approaches that can inform their energy, climate, and resilience strategies for new and existing buildings. (Award amount: $2.8 million)
- National Association of State Energy Officials will establish a new and replicable approach to evaluate the impact of building energy codes on resilience and pilot the strategy in Arizona and Florida. The project will generate empirical data on technology trends and practices exhibited in these regions, which will help inform industry education and training programs. (Award amount: $2.2 million)
- New Buildings Institute, South-Central Partnership for Energy Efficiency as a Resource, and Austin Energy will support the implementation of efficient and resilient energy codes in Texas and Oklahoma. Access to training on the latest codes is especially important in the south-central region, since in recent years more homes have been built in Texas than in any other U.S. state. (Award amount: $1.6 million)
- Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources and the Rhode Island Builders Association will provide energy code training and educational resources to building inspectors, design professionals, builders, and construction trades in Rhode Island to support implementation of the latest energy codes. (Award amount: $1.6 million)
For a full list of projects supported under the RECI initiative, click here.