BUILDING CODES

& ENERGY EFFICIENCY:

OREGON
Updated February 24, 2010
THE IMPACT OF THE
NATIONAL MODEL ENERGY CODES
The 2009 IECC3 substantially improves upon the
state’s current codes and makes it simpler to provide
Oregon households and businesses lower utility costs,
increased comfort, and better economic opportunity.

According to models created by the Building Codes

Assistance Project, Oregon is poised to make substan-
tial economic and environmental gains in the next two
decades by embracing building energy efficiency:

By implementing the 2009 IECC statewide begin-

B
uildings account for roughly 40 percent of the ning in 2011, Oregon businesses and homeowners
total energy use in the United States and 70 will save an estimated $41 million annually by
percent of our electricity use, representing a 2020 and an estimated $83 million annually by
significant opportunity for energy savings. Energy 2030 in energy costs (based on 2006 energy prices).
efficiency—through the adoption and enforcement of
strong building energy codes – is the quickest, cheap- Additionally, implementing the latest model code
est, and cleanest way to reduce energy consumption will help avoid over 13 trillion Btu of primary an-
and achieve a sustainable and prosperous future. For nual energy use by 2030 and annual emissions of
most states, the first step has been to adopt the U.S. more than 750,000 metric tons of CO2 by 2030.
model energy codes – the 2009 International Energy
Conservation Code (2009 IECC) and ASHRAE OTHER BENEFITS OF THE 2009 IECC
Standard 90.1-2007.
The successful implementation of – and compliance
with – the national model codes also produces multi-
In February 2009, the American Recovery and Rein-
ple economic and environmental benefits for the
vestment Act (Recovery Act) – the federal stimulus
building and utility industries:
legislation appropriating funds for a variety of state
initiatives – allocated $3.1 billion for the U.S. Depart- New and renovated construction over 30 percent
ment of Energy’s State Energy Program (SEP) to as- more energy efficient than typical buildings not con-
sist states with building energy efficiency projects. As structed to meet national model energy standards
one of the requirements to receive this funding, Gov.
Ted Kulongoski certified to DOE1 that Oregon would Expansion of the state economy by keeping local
implement energy standards of equal or greater strin- dollars in Oregon
gency than the latest national model codes – the 2009
edition of the IECC and Standard 90.1-2007. Given Simplified guidelines for builders and designers, op-
this unprecedented opportunity to receive a total of timized cost-effectiveness, and uniformity through-
$42.2 million in federal SEP funding2 to improve out the state
building energy efficiency, Oregon has highlighted
the state’s best economic interest by pursuing en- Improved indoor/outdoor air quality and reduced
ergy standards at least equivalent to the national greenhouse gas emissions from lower demand for
model codes. electricity, natural gas, and heating oil
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 OREGON: BEYOND THE MODEL ENERGY CODE
T
he Beaver State’s current minimum mandatory
energy standards for commercial and residential
buildings are codified, respectively, in the Ore-
gon Structural Specialty Code (OSSC) and the Oregon
Residential Specialty Code (ORSC).4 While the 2007
OSSC and 2008 ORSC are not based on the national
model codes, they are roughly equivalent in stringency
with the 2006 IECC and Standard 90.1-2004.
Legislation passed in 2009 (SB 79) directed the Oregon
Building Codes Division (BCD) to improve the energy
efficiency of its commercial standards by 15 to 25 per-
cent and its residential standards by 10 to 15 percent.5 As
of February 2010, BCD was developing the 2010 Oregon
Energy Efficiency Specialty Code (OEESC), the state’s
first stand-alone energy code based on the 2009
IECC. The commercial provisions are scheduled to take
effect July 1, 2010 (with a 90-day ―phase-in‖ period),
while BCD tentatively expects to complete the adoption
of the new residential code by the spring of 2011.6
Adoption, however, is only the first step. The state
must now implement its new code. As another condition
of accepting the Recovery Act SEP funds, states must
achieve compliance with these new standards in 90 per-
cent of new and renovated residential and commercial
building space by 2017.7
Additionally, Oregon should consider following the ex-
ample of other states that are proven leaders in energy
efficiency by continuing to develop and adopt innovative
policies that go beyond the national model codes.
AUTOMATIC ENERGY CODE STATUTE UPDATES
When states regularly update and enforce their energy
codes (as SB 79 directs), they ensure the consistency and
continued enhancement of the benefits of model building
practice. Exemplary statutes include the Massachusetts
Green Communities Act of 20088 and the Pennsylvania
Uniform Construction Code of 1999.9
REMOVE CONTRADICTORY COMPLIANCE OPTIONS
Many states have adopted the 2009 International Resi-
dential Code (2009 IRC) along with the IECC. For vari-
ous reasons, however, many builders use the energy effi-
ciency standards (Chapter 11) of the IRC, which DOE
** NOTES **
1 8
US DOE (http://www.energy.gov/media/4066KulongoskiOregon.pdf)
2 9
US DOE (http://www.energy.gov/news2009/7041.htm)
3 10
BCAP (http://bcap-energy.org/node/330)
4 11
BCAP (http://bcap-ocean.org/state-country/oregon)
5 12
BCAP (http://bcap-energy.org/node/469)
6 13
BCAP (http://bcap-ocean.org/news/2010/february/23/oregon-board-recommends-
14
commercial-update-2009-iecc)
7
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Sec. 410 (2) (c)
Mt. Hood reflected in Trillium Lake
(Credit—Oregon’s Mt. Hood Territory)
has stated is not equivalent to the IECC and does not
comply with Recovery Act requirements.10 States can
avoid contradictory compliance options by deleting
Chapter 11 of the IRC and replacing it with a refer-
ence to the state’s energy code, as the 2010 Maryland
Building Performance Standards (MBPS) have done.11
UNIFORM VOLUNTARY “STRETCH CODE”
As directed by SB 79, BCD is also convening stake-
holders to develop the first Oregon “Reach Code”.12
This code will be a single uniform set of statewide op-
tional construction energy standards for builders that
wish to go beyond the requirements of the state's manda-
tory codes (an effort quite similar to Massachusetts’s
Appendix 120AA,13 an optional local amendment to its
mandatory statewide building energy code). This Reach
Code will serve as a uniform alternative to the base
energy efficiency requirements of the state code, easing
future transitions to strengthen the mandatory code.
MANDATORY GREEN BUILDING CODE
In January 2010, California adopted the nation’s first
mandatory green building standards, known as CAL-
Green.14 Effective in 2011, the new code will require all
new buildings to reduce indoor water use by 20 percent
and divert 50 percent of construction waste from land-
fills. CALGreen also mandates inspections of energy
systems for large nonresidential buildings and the use of
low-pollutant emitting interior finish materials such as
paints, carpet, vinyl flooring, and particle board.
For more information, please visit www.bcap-ocean.org
BBRS (http://bcap-energy.org/files/MASS_GreenCommunitiesAct_S2768_0.pdf)
PA DLI (http://bcap-energy.org/files/PA_UCC_Act_1999.pdf)
US DOE (http://www.energycodes.gov/news/irc_iecc_arra.stm)
MD Codes Admin. (http://mdcodes.umbc.edu/dhcd2/mbps.html)
BCD (http://www.oregonbcd.org/committees/11reachcode/Solicitation_committee.pdf)
MA BBRS (http://bcap-energy.org/node/418)
CA BSC (http://bcap-ocean.org/news/2010/january/21/california-adopts-nations-first
-mandatory-green-building-standards)
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