IRA Funded Technical Assistance for Building Energy Codes Incentives Impacts Normal State and Local Energy Code Adoption Processes.

Today, DOE’s Office of State and Community Energy Programs (SCEP) announced its intent to make $1 billion in funding available to states and local governments for improved building codes that may reduce carbon emissions and improve energy efficiency through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Funded Technical Assistance for the Adoption of Building Energy Codes.  SCEP published a “[Notice of Intent] indicating the work that DOE is doing to distribute these funds to state and local governments, paving the way for a cleaner, more efficient building stock across the country.”  According to the notice, the technical assistance opportunity will make two types of Building Code Technical Assistance available:    

1. $317 million will be available to adopt the latest building energy code, the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) for residential buildings and the ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1–2019 for commercial buildings, or other codes and standards that achieve equivalent or greater energy savings.   

2. $633 million will be used to adopt a building energy code that meets or exceeds the zero energy provisions in the 2021 IECC code, or other codes and standards with equivalent or greater energy savings.    

SCEP also published a [Request for Information] to inform the development of the program’s Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). Interested stakeholders should submit their responses to the RFI to [email protected] no later than April 27, 2023, at 5 p.m. ET.  DOE will also host a public informational webinar about the IRA Funded Building Energy Code Improvements on April 18, 2023 at 2pm. Register [here]   

AGA staff is reviewing the notice that when implemented will impact state and local building energy code adoptions by financial incentivizing adoptions of the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) for residential buildings and the ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1–2019 for commercial buildings without any requirement to evaluate the impact (life cycle costs, emissions, etc.) on the adoptions on the new and renovated built environment in their state or locale.  BECS Committee members are requested to review the notice and provide us with an assessment of the impact of the program within their service territory.   

DOE Issues a Final Rule Pertaining to Standards for Natural Gas Pool Heaters.

Today, the DOE  issued a pre-publication Federal Register final rule pertaining to energy conservation standards for electric and natural gas pool heaters. The Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA), prescribes standards for various consumer products and certain commercial and industrial equipment, including consumer pool heaters. EPCA also requires DOE to periodically determine whether more-stringent, standards would be technologically feasible and economically justified, and would result in significant energy savings. In this final rule, DOE is adopting new and amended standards for consumer pool heaters. It has determined that the new and amended energy conservation standards for these products would result in significant conservation of energy and are technologically feasible and economically justified. The effective date of this rule is 60 days after the final rule has published in the Federal Register.  Compliance with the amended standards established for pool heaters in this final rule is required on and after 5 years after the final rule has published in the Federal Register. A review of the revised minimum efficiency requirement natural gas pool heaters indicated that the level does not require “condensing” technology to achieve compliance. The minimum energy level descriptor is identified as Integrated Thermal Efficiency (percent) and has a basis at 84% Thermal Efficiency (Et). In our joint comments on the proposal, AGA and the American Public Gas Association had supported an 83% (Et) level to minimize any concerns with condensation forming in the vent and internally in the heat exchanger.  However, in establishing the 84% Et, DOE concluded that many natura gas fired pool heaters currently available on the market are rated at 84% Et and that the level, “can be achieved by atmospherically vented and/or non-condensing gas-fired pool heaters”. We will provide the effective date when the DOE provides a Federal Register Notice on the Final Rule.

For additional DOE information on pool heaters, click Pool Heaters.   The site includes DOE current standards and test procedures, statutory authority, waivers, exceptions and contact information.