The next Building Energy Codes and Standards Committee (BECS) Meeting will be held on Wednesday and Thursday, January 14-15, 2026, at Sempra Headquarters in downtown San Diego. Information regarding the hotels, meeting registration and preliminary agenda has been sent out this week. Please contact us if you have not received it.
Colorado Court Grants AHAM’s Motion to Enjoin Colorado’s Gas Stove Labeling and Information Law.
In the August 15 and 29, 2025 BECS Updates on End Use Codes and Standards, we reported on the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) filed motion for injunctive relieve from the Colorado gas stove labeling bill. Recall that Colorado House Bill 1161 was signed into law in June that “ requires retailers of gas stoves to affix a “yellow adhesive label” that reads “UNDERSTAND THE AIR QUALITY IMPLICATIONS OF HAVING AN INDOOR GAS STOVE.” The label must also include a URL or QR code to a webpage created by the state’s health department that provides “credible, evidence-based information on the health impacts of gas-fueled stoves “. In the August 29th update, we included AHAM’s President and CEO Kelly Mariotti’s update on the litigation one-pager (attached) titled “AHAM Constitutional Challenge to Colorado HB-1161” that provides additional details on the first amendment lawsuit. Today, the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado granted AHAM’s motion (attached) to enjoin Colorado’s gas stove labeling and information law, finding that they were likely to succeed on their claims that the law violated manufacturer’s first amendment rights. Of particular interest to the gas industry in the court decision is the following discussion on page 16:
“ “Based on the evidence before it, the Court concludes the labeling requirement is objectively controversial. HB25-1161 is objectively controversial because there is robust disagreement by scientific sources concerning the validity of the statements contained on the CDPHE webpage, which AHAM’s members must provide a link to on the label. Plaintiff’s expert, Dr. Benson, conducted an extensive review of the epidemiological evidence evaluating cooking with natural gas and adverse health effects. Dkt. 27-3, ¶¶23-24. She applied the Bradford Hill guidelines, which are a set of criteria that were established “to provide structure to the assessment for the presence of a causal relationship between an exposure and a health outcome.” Id. at ¶ 25. After a thorough discussion of the available studies, she concluded that the epidemiological evidence reviewed does not support a causal association between cooking with natural gas and birth outcomes, cancer endpoints, cardiovascular endpoints, or respiratory endpoints. Id. at ¶ 10 (“Based on established scientific principles, there is no scientific consensus that using gas stoves for home cooking is associated with or causes any health impacts or effects.”).””
AGA Submits Questions to the ICC Board on Scope and Intent of Questionable Proposed Revisions to the 2027 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC).
In last week’s BECS Update on End Use Codes and Standards we provided comments on several problematic sections of both the commercial and residential sections of the proposed 2027 International Energy Conservation Code. Our comments reflect previous concerns discussed with the BECS Committee since the ICC initiated the process of developing the 2027 Edition of the IECC. They focus on holding the Residential and Commercial Consensus Committees responsible for meeting the IECC Scope and Intent by focusing on fuel-neutral energy efficiency measures and lifecycle cost effectiveness. Specifically, AGA submitted comments in opposition to a new requirement approved by the Commercial Consensus committee that would result in heat pumps being required for new construction where heating and cooling are needed. AGA is also opposing the use of inconsistent methodologies to develop the source energy factors in the Commercial Code for the simulated performance pathway that result in a pro-electricity bias. Finally on the Commercial side, AGA is opposing a new nonmandatory appendix in the Commercial Code that would promote electrification through the use of site energy metrics as the basis for all energy efficiency credits. On the Residential side, AGA is submitted several comments in opposition to awarding energy efficiency credits to measures that have not been shown to provide any energy efficiency benefits, including many measures that were previously moved to nonmandatory appendices by the ICC Board of Directors during the 2024 appeals process. AGA is also submitting a comment to request that the energy efficiency credits associated with gas heat pumps (GHP’s) be reviewed to ensure that GHPs are being appropriately credited for their superlative code climate performance. AGA is also opposing the expansion of the Residential nonmandatory “electric-ready” appendix to include space heating equipment. In addition to submitting comments to the IECC Consensus Committees, AGA has submitted concurrent “Questions on Scope and Intent” on all items that were approved by the consensus committees that we believe are without any justification of lifecycle cost effectiveness. Recall that the IECC Scope and Intent states that “future additional requirements and modifications to existing sections to the IECC both main text and appendices must comply with the Scope and Intent statements. Provisions in both the main body of the code and the optional appendices must achieve a reasonable level of energy efficiency that is safe, technologically feasible, and lifecycle cost effective, considering economic feasibility, including potential costs and savings for consumers, and building owners, and return on investment?” The purpose of the AGA “Questions” is to require the ICC Board of Directors to provide enforceable guidance regarding proposals that we believe are clearly pro-electrification. We will report on the ICC Boards responses to the questions when available.
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. AGA is evaluating the BECS memberships use and value of this information. Please advise us by December 23, 2025, of your experiences using this Update.