Southwest Energy Efficiency Project

Energy Codes and Best Practices

Above-Code Resources for State and Local Officials

The following websites provide guidelines and information resources for achieving 30% or greater energy savings in commercial and residential buildings.

Commercial Buildings

ASHRAE Advanced Energy Design Guides for small office buildings, small retail, and K-12 Schools
Advanced Buildings Core Performance Guide
ASHRAE Draft Standard 189P (in review) PDF Document - Article
Architecture 2030 Challenge
ENERGY STAR Target Finder

Residential Buildings

City of Boulder Green Points Program
Energy Efficient Codes Coalition (EECC) “30% Solution” Proposal (EC-14)
ENERGY STAR New Homes Program

Building codes offer a cost-effective way to achieve energy savings in new residential and commercial construction. SWEEP actively promotes the adoption of state-of-the-art building energy codes in the Southwest that will increase energy efficiency in new buildings by 30% or more. SWEEP’s activities include:

Advocating for the adoption of energy codes legislation at the state and local levels
Conducting and disseminating reports and analyses on the cost effectiveness and savings potential from updating residential and commercial energy codes
Evaluating code implementation and promoting efforts to improve code adoption, compliance and enforcement through training and increased funding.
Providing direct technical assistance to state and local governments that are developing and implementing efficient codes.
Supporting training programs for building code officials, general contractors, engineers, architects and others on residential and commercial energy codes requirements and compliance.

SWEEP supports the Energy Efficient Codes Coalition (EECC). The EECC is a unique, broad-based alliance of longstanding energy efficiency advocates who have adopted the goal of boosting residential energy efficiency by at least 30% over current model energy codes. Click here to learn more about the EECC's Thirty Percent Solution - The Energy Driving More Efficient Homes.

SWEEP is also in the process of developing an efficient building codes resource guide for local officials, and will be providing technical assistance to states and municipalities that are pursuing building codes that go well beyond the IECC. For more information, contact Steve Dunn at sdunn@swenergy.org.

This section of the site provides information on the status of building codes in the Southwest, describes leading examples of programs and best practices for efficient residential and commercial building energy codes, and provides links to code-related information resources for organizations interested in pursuing efficient building codes.

Status of Building Energy Codes in the Southwest
This section provides updated information on the status of building energy codes adopted at the state and local levels in the Southwest.
Residential Energy Codes
Describes residential energy code programs adopted in the Southwest that achieve a 30% or greater improvement in the energy efficiency of new homes, and outlines the steps and best practices for implementing an efficient building code.
Commercial Energy Codes
Provides information on commercial above-code programs, policies and technical assistance resources and best practices for implementing energy codes.
Information Resources
See this section for information on code development, training and other technical assistance resources available to state and local officials.

© 2002-2008 Southwest Energy Efficiency Project
2260 Baseline Rd. Suite 212, Boulder, CO 80302
(303) 447-0078 fax: (303) 786-8054 info@swenergy.org

Last Updated: 08/14/2008