The International Code Council announced in March that it has received a $1.1 million grant to conduct a three-year study examining energy efficiency in building standards. ICC will be joined by the University of Central Florida’s Florida Solar Energy Center and the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) to conduct the study.
[Related: Net-zero heroes—Energy-efficient solutions to an affordable housing crisis]
“Energy efficient construction saves homeowners money on their energy bills and protects the environment,” said Michelle Britt, director of energy programs for ICC. “We are honored to partner with national leaders in residential building efficiency research to assist with this innovative research and help advance the standard practice of residential building construction.”
The study will focus on:
- How product labeling affects homeowners’ awareness or expectations for energy efficiency
- Quality assurance for third-party code inspections and verification
- Code issues that impede implementation of energy-efficient practices
The grant for the study is part of an $11.5 million investment from the Energy Department to fund 16 housing innovation projects including: four other studies on building standard practices, one of which will involve field studies on homes in Colorado and Nevada; eight studies on integrating advanced residential envelope and HVAC systems; and two baseline field studies of residential HVAC system faults.
Danielle Andrus was previously the managing editor for Colorado Builder, and is currently Editor for the Journal of Financial Planning.
