An opinion piece in a recent issue of ENGINEERED SYSTEMS asks a simple question: Why does the U.S. need two model energy codes?
The majority of state commercial building energy codes are based on IECC, while 90.1 is the national energy reference standard used in energy legislation and organizations like the GBC. IECC references 90.1 as an alternative compliance path. Because 90.1 is the reference standard, the two model codes roughly but not precisely harmonize.
Authored by John Varley, PE, associate principal at HED in Chicago, the piece states:
Though the codes try to coexist like friendly allies, they seem to pair more like the mongoose and cobra. Why does the design community continue to accept this bifurcation of such a vital part of our design basis?
As both model codes are on a three-year review cycle, the result is a mishmash of energy codes in the U.S., both in terms of what standard is being adopted and what version is being used. Writes Varley:
Everyone responsible for the design, maintenance, or ownership of a commercial building continually experiences energy code anxiety during these regular cycles of publication.
He concludes:
It’s ridiculous to burden the practitioners of the building sciences with the management of these duplicative documents; however, neither ASHRAE nor the ICC are likely to relinquish their positions as the promulgators of the national energy codes. That said, maybe they could be coaxed into jointly publishing a unified code? This would greatly simplify the design community’s efforts and, because of that, improve the design process. By streamlining the design process, the creation of a single code may result in better buildings.
Click here to read it.
What do you think?
