State and Local Strategies for Increasing Building Energy Code Compliance

Host: National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO)

Presenters: 

Marilyn Kaplan – Project Manager at the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority

Jennifer Wilson – State Energy Program Manager at the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority

While model building energy codes have made significant progress over the past several years in prescribing energy efficiency construction requirements, and a number of states have adopted or are in the process of adopting these more stringent standards, the key to realizing the full benefits associated with building energy codes is effective enforcement and compliance.  This webinar, which is hosted by the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO), will highlight approaches for achieving higher levels of code compliance while also recognizing the potential impact of compliance strategies on already strained and limited state and local resources.

The webinar will include two presentations from State Energy Office staff.  Marilyn Kaplan, Project Manager at the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), will present on NYSERDA’s recent and ongoing compliance survey efforts. Marilyn will also discuss how this information is informing NYSERDA’s on-going strategies for capturing energy savings through increasing energy code compliance.  Jennifer Wilson, State Energy Program Manager at the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA), will highlight the results of a recent report, “Building Department Pilot Study: Guidance on Effective Enforcement of Georgia’s Energy Code.”  The report examines building energy code enforcement practices from two jurisdictions in Georgia and identifies best practices related to building energy code compliance, including implementation of the blower door and duct tightness testing requirements of the Georgia code (2009 IECC plus amendments).

Following these presentations, there will be a Q&A session with the presenters and a discussion among all the SEOs in attendance regarding their challenges and successes pertaining to increasing building energy code compliance.