Are Stretch Codes a Barrier to Affordable Housing in New Jersey?
New Jersey is among the most expensive states to live in and there are numerous existing barriers to constructing new affordable housing. Excessive regulations have been found to drive up the already high housing costs by 35 percent, which pushes out those with lower incomes. In the past, the…
Northeast/Mid-Atlantic Heating Electrification Market Transformation Progress Report
This report captures results from NEEP’s annual survey of regional stakeholders to assess perceived progress in implementing the seven key market strategies outlined in NEEP’s…
IECC 2024 Commercial Draft
After a year of numerous ICC 2024 IECC Consensus Committee meetings, the ICC published the first draft of the 2024 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) for Commercial Buildings on September 9, 2022. The 2024 IECC Commercial code public comment period was open until…
Residential Off-Site Construction: Misconception vs. Reality
Builders, architects, and homeowners are often unfamiliar with off-site construction, and there are a number of benefits (and outdated misconceptions) that this fact sheet discusses.
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Opportunities for School Building Energy Efficiency
Students spend more than 15,000 hours in school buildings throughout their educational careers and are adversely affected by poor building conditions. Designing and building schools to a higher standard and paying special attention to energy-consuming systems, supports better health and learning…
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Opportunities for Community Building Energy Efficiency
Community action for building energy efficiency and emissions reductions is critical for achieving local and state goals, and many communities in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic are leading the way. With new funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), even more will be possible. Local…
The Nexus of Energy Codes and Building Performance Standards
Cities and states across the country have made commitments to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions according to stated timelines. The approach to reducing emissions, energy, and water use in new buildings is very different than the approach to do so in existing buildings. There are two separate…
Air Regulations and Emissions from Appliances
Typically, a building’s emissions are considered the outdoor emissions produced by constructing and powering that building. There is a growing movement to also address the emissions and harmful pollutants generated by the fossil-fueled appliances used…
Massachusetts Commercial Energy-Zero (E-Z) Code Summary
The MA Commercial E-Z Code offers multiple compliance paths for the design of commercial zero-energy buildings: a prescriptive path, a performance path (wit…
