Establishing and maintaining active administrative structures and mechanisms to support energy code compliance is the only way to unlock deep energy savings, cost abatements, and carbon emission reductions. Adopting statewide codes is a vital undertaking, but without compliance and enforcement, the associated benefits of energy codes cannot be realized.
Achieving compliance is easier said than done. A shrinking workforce impacts quality assurance and makes balancing training while keeping up with inspections difficult. Compliance studies to determine a baseline compliance rate can be time-intensive and expensive. But working with any new code – be it an energy code or other – requires training and support resources to ensure industry readiness.
It is important to remember that energy codes, contrary to any other building code, pay for themselves through energy and cost savings. This means investing in training and workforce development programs at the state or utility level will save states time and money in the long term by supporting a skilled and adaptable workforce that can accommodate future changes in industry standards.
Training, workforce development, and industry support resources take many forms and can be tailored to state-specific needs. Look through NEEP's Code Compliance Toolkit to learn more.
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