Director of Building Energy Codes and Standards on the BECS Team.

We are pleased to announce that Denise Beach has joined AGA as a Director of Building Energy Codes and Standards (BECS) team for the AGA Energy, Markets, Analysis & Standards (EMAS) section. Denise brings with her a wealth of knowledge on end use codes and standards critical for our industry to promote the many benefits of the direct use of natural gas in homes and businesses. End use codes and standards are a cornerstone in support of the AGA memberships mission to supply natural gas to end users in a safe and efficient manner. Denise holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Georgia Tech and has extensive experience on end use codes and standards obtained in her working for the insurance industry, allied trade associations and involvement in the development processes used by national consensus codes and standards organizations.  She is looking forward to returning to the DC area after 16 years back in New England, but will remain loyal to the Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics, and Sun.  We all look forward with working with Denise in addressing our important responsibility of evaluating end use codes and standards impacting the direct use of natural gas.

Update on the DOE Efficiency Standards for Gas-Fired Instantaneous Water Heaters (GIWH) – Congressional Action Initiated to Address Concerns with the GIWH Final Rule.

Last Friday,  we reported that DOE announced the postponement of the implementation of seven of the Biden-Harris administration’s efficiency standards for home appliances, six electric and one for gas-fired instantaneous water heaters. As previously reported,  AGA along with a number of other stakeholders have  opposed the  December 26, 2024  DOE Final Rule published in the Federal Register Notice  with amended standards for gas-fired instantaneous water heaters less than 2 gallon and greater than 50,000 Btu/hour, at an efficiency level that requires condensing technology. The Notice list “the effective date of this rule as March 11, 2025. Compliance with the amended standards established for gas-fired instantaneous water heaters in this final rule is required on and after December 26, 2029.”  The DOE postponement announcement also states that DOE “is creating a new energy efficiency category for natural gas tankless water heaters. Creating a new category for these popular and low-cost water heaters exempts these products from the Biden-Harris Administration’s onerous rules and gives the American people the power to choose the best option for their homes and budgets.” There are no details on what the new category DOE is considering to issue. Also, DOE announced that it has delayed the effective date of the gas-fired instantaneous water heaters rule amending issued on December 26, 2024, until March 21, 2025 and is accepting written comments and information on or before March 13, 2025.

Related to this issue, yesterday, the US House of Representatives passed H.J. Res 20 providing for congressional disapproval of the rule submitted by the Department of Energy relating to ‘‘Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards for Consumer Gas-fired Instantaneous Water Heaters’’. This is the first step in overturning this rule so that DOE might reissue the rule taking condensing and non-condensing product features into account. This also sets up Senate consideration of the companion bill supported by Senator Ted Cruz.  If the bill does not change, we would anticipate the President will sign it into law based on the recently announced statement of administration policy on these types of rules.  Finally, aattached is yesterday’s AGA Press Release praising the House vote that may eventually help in resolving this troublesome DOE rulemaking on gas instantaneous water heaters that would have a negative Impact on consumers choice on the availability of an efficient and cost-effective domestic water heating appliance.

ICC 2025 Committee Action Hearings (CAH) Begin the Afternoon of Sunday, April 27 in Orlando, Fl.

The ICC has published the schedule  (also attached) for Committee Action Hearings Group B #1. The hearings will take place in Orlando that will shape the 2027 International Codes® (I‑Codes).

Additional details on Group B codes are as follows:

• Admin: Chapter 1 of all the I-Codes except the IgCC and IRC. Also includes the update of currently referenced standards in all of the 2021 Codes, except the IgCC. See Code Group Notes below for the IECC and the ICC PC.
• IBC-G: IBC General provisions. Chapters 3 – 6, 12, 13, 27 – 33.
• IBC-S: IBC Structural provisions. IBC Chapters 15 – 25 and IEBC structural provisions. See Code Group Notes.
• IEBC: IEBC Non-structural provisions. See Code Group Notes.
• IgCC: The administration provisions of Chapter 1 of the IgCC in order to provide for coordination with the other administrative provisions in the I-Codes. Additionally, Appendix M included as it is not included in ASHRAE Standard 189.1. Remainder of the code is based on the provisions of ASHRAE Standard 189.1 Standard for the Design of High-Performance Green Buildings, Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings.
• IPMC: Code changes heard by the IPM/ZC (combined IPMC & IZC code committee)
• IRC-B: IRC Building provisions. Chapters 1 – 10
• IZC: Code changes heard by the IPM/ZC (combined IPMC & IZC code committee)

AGA BECS staff is continuing a review of all proposals and will be providing recommendations on code proposals that impact the direct use of natural gas for the built environment and is planning to attend the committee action hearings.

State Codes Activity Update.

Attached is a weekly feature of the “Friday Update” covering state code calendar activities as presented by the online utility “Fiscal Note,” which is sponsored by APGA and AGA Code and Standards. Please review the update and determine if there are state code activities that impact your service territory or organization.