A Review of the Evaluation of Building Energy Code Compliance in the United States

Yulong Xie (), Matthew Tyler, Jennifer Huckett, Rosemarie Bartlett, Yan Chen, Victor Salcido, Vrushali Mendon and Michael Rosenberg
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Yulong Xie: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99354, USA
Matthew Tyler: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99354, USA
Jennifer Huckett: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99354, USA
Rosemarie Bartlett: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99354, USA
Yan Chen: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99354, USA
Victor Salcido: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99354, USA
Vrushali Mendon: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99354, USA
Michael Rosenberg: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99354, USA

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 16, 1-38

Abstract: Building energy codes are essential tools for achieving energy efficiency in buildings. However, the full energy savings potential of these codes can only be realized if buildings are constructed in compliance with them. Therefore, evaluating building energy code compliance is crucial in bridging the gap between the energy efficiency requirements set by energy codes and the actualized energy savings achieved. An energy code compliance evaluation serves as a mechanism to assess construction practices, evaluate the effectiveness of code enforcement, identify gaps in compliance, and guide strategies for improvement through training and education. Conducting code compliance evaluation activities involves field studies that require careful design and significant resources. Historically, more emphasis has been placed on developing and adopting building energy codes, while efforts to evaluate compliance have been relatively limited and lacking consistent approaches. The passage of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), which mandated that states create plans for achieving 90% compliance within eight years, stimulated the need for an energy code compliance evaluation. As a result, federal, state, and local governments, and utilities have invested in the development of methodologies and tools for code compliance evaluation studies. This paper reviews the code compliance evaluation studies conducted in the United States over the past three decades. It describes and compares the methodologies and metrics used to assess building energy code compliance, summarizes the general elements and steps involved in the evaluation process, and discusses common issues in these studies. Over time, code compliance evaluation methodologies have evolved from isolated development within individual states, regions, and utilities, to widely accepted protocols applicable across different states and local jurisdictions. There has been a transition in compliance metrics, shifting from historical compliance rates to energy-consumption-oriented approaches.

Keywords: building energy code; code compliance evaluation; energy savings potential (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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