Action | Update the Uniform Statewide Building Code |
Stage | Proposed |
Comment Period | Ended on 9/29/2013 |
![]() |
September 24, 2013
Stephen W. Calhoun
Regulatory Coordinator
Department of Housing and Community Development
Main Street Centre
600 East Main Street, Suite 300
Richmond, VA 23219
Dear Mr. Calhoun,
The Virginia Board of Housing and Community Development (BHCD) is currently deliberating on the 2012 building code, and this year was anticipated to be one of the best years for residential and commercial building energy efficiency improvements, as the national model code recommendation included upgrades that would represent a 15% national gain in building efficiency – and could achieve as much as a 27.4% gain for Virginia’s residential buildings, according to a recent analysis completed by the U.S. Department of Energy. This jump could eliminate 55.6 million metric tons of CO2 by 2035, equivalent to taking 11.6 million cars off the roads.
However, these higher standards have been removed from the proposed Virginia residential code,. Unless the provisions are reinstated, Virginia will miss this opportunity to modernize and improve residences statewide.
Roanoke Valley Cool Cities Coalition is a 501.c.3 nonprofit organization with almost 300 affiliates representing over 25,000 citizens in our region. Our mission is to help local citizens reduce their carbon emissions and the harmful consequences that ensue. http://rvccc.org.
On behalf of our affiliates, I respectfully urge you and the Board of Housing and Community Development (BHCD) to fully restore the provisions of the national code that have been removed for Virginia, as these are founded on less than accurate economic data and would, in fact, leave Virginia homeowners and tenants at a disadvantage as consumers.
The improved standards aim at reducing energy waste in new buildings, with the added benefit of lowering owner’s energy costs. While the commercial building code remains relatively untouched in changes to the energy efficiency provisions, these higher standards have been removed from the Virginia residential code. Unless the provisions are reinstated, Virginia will miss this opportunity to modernize and improve residences statewide.
CHANGES WHICH SHOULD BE RESTORED
This BHCD has approved a series of proposals which weaken or remove the 2012 national model code, or International Energy and Conservation Code (IECC), energy efficiency improvements. These include, but are not limited to, efficiency reductions in requirements for:
The benefits of Virginia’s adoption of the national model energy standards include, but are not limited to:
If the Commonwealth were to adopt and achieve full compliance with the national energy standards by the year 2014, the Building Codes Assistance Project assesses that by 2035 Virginia would:
Virginia homes and businesses lacking in energy efficiency put owners and occupants at a disadvantage by making energy costs less affordable throughout the life of the building. Energy efficiency helps avoid utility rate increases for new power plants to meet peak demand, and efficient homes have been proven to reduce the rate of foreclosure.
For all these reasons, I urge you and the BHCD to do what is right for the citizens of Virginia and restore all energy efficiency standards to the new Virginia building code.
Sincerely,