This week, Stuart Saulters of APGA staff attended the 2019 National Energy Codes Conference in Denver. The event was hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, and provided sessions on an engaging set of topics, relative to residential and commercial buildings, as well as networking opportunities.
There was quite a bit of discussion on electrification; but it did seem that when full electrification was offered as the path forward, there was skepticism, given the cost to build the infrastructure needed, as well as consumer choice for natural gas appliances. Even the keynote speaker, former Governor of Colorado, Bill Ritter Jr., provided that the question of what to do with America’s natural gas supply should be answered, considering it is affordable and abundantly available, with fewer emissions.
Given DOE’s support and participation in the energy code development processes administered by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and the International Code Council (ICC), there were several sessions on the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), which is the focus to improve energy efficiency of residential buildings. Other panel discussions covered the IECC and ASHRAE Standard 90.1—DOE’s preferred documents for jurisdictions to use for energy efficiency in commercial buildings. There can be significant impacts to the direct use of natural gas through revisions to these documents, so it was valuable to have APGA staff hear and engage, as well as learn DOE’s thoughts on the future of these documents.
For questions on this article, please contact Stuart Saulters of APGA staff by phone at 202-464-2742 or by email at
ssaulters@apga.org.