RHODE ISLAND
CURRENT CODE
Residential:
2006 IECC (Mandatory)
Commercial:
2006 IECC (Mandatory)
DEMOGRAPHICS
Population: 1,050,788
Total Housing Units:
443,761
ENERGY
CONSUMPTION
Residential Sector:
70.2 Trillion BTU
Commercial Sector:
55.1 Trillion BTU
46% of the electricity sup-
ply in Rhode Island is con-
sumed to heat residential
homes.
Residential use of natural
gas costs $16.82/thousand
cubic ft.
Natural gas fuels almost all
of Rhode Island’s electricity
generation.
CODE CHANGE CYCLE
Three year code review
BCAP 1850 M St. NW Suite 600 | Rhode Island, DC 20036 | www.bcap-
Rhode Island will receive $23.9 Million from the federal
government if the state adopts the latest energy codes:
 IECC 2009 (International Energy Conservation
Code)
 ASHRAE 90.1 2007 (American Society of Heating
Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers)
Accumulated residential sector savings, 2009 to 2020,
would be:
 4 billion Btu of energy
 28 thousand metric tons of CO2 (Equivalent to the
annual emissions of 5,128 passenger vehicles)
 $5 million
 $5 million could pay more than the full under-
graduate tuition for current students at pri-
vate universities in Rhode Island
FINANCING OPPORTUNITIES:
In February 2009 the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act allocated $3.1
billion for U.S. Department of Energy’s State Energy Program (SEP) to assist
states with building energy efficiency efforts. As one of the requirements to re-
ceive SEP grants, state governors must certify to DOE that their state will imple-
ment energy codes of equal or greater stringency than the latest national model
codes (currently IECC 2009 and Standard 90.1-2007). Thus, it is in the state’s
best economic interests to adopt these standards statewide and begin enjoying
the benefits of an efficient building sector.
CODE ADOPTION AND CHANGE PROCESS:
Regulatory Process: The State Building Codes Standards Committee (SBCSC) is
responsible for adopting and amending the state building code, including the en-
ergy code.
For more information please consult the Building Codes Assistance Project (www.bcap-energy.org)
or Nick Zigelbaum (nzigelbaum@nrdc.org)
BCAP