ABSTRACT ENERGY CODES AND THE RECOVERY ACT: GUIDANCE FOR STATES ADDRESSING 90% COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS By Jeremiah Lee Williams The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provided state financial support aimed at stimulating the national economy while creating efficiency gains through the implementation of modern building energy codes. These requirements call for compliance with targeted energy codes, including a plan to demonstrate a 90% compliance rate by 2017. In support of these requirements, the Federal Government has published a recommended methodology for states to reference as they work to demonstrate compliance with new energy codes. Unfortunately, the path to meeting this goal remains unclear and many questions still exist at the state and stakeholder levels. The present study examines compliance issues faced within U.S. states to enable effective policy decisions, with a primary goal to provide states with guidance and options to address energy code compliance requirements. A descriptive statistical analysis of survey responses gathered in code enforcement jurisdictions provides a baseline of local practices and current implementation issues. State challenges and subsequent recommendations are analyzed through recent case studies, and considered against expectations of the Federal methodology. Findings culminate in a set of recommendations with consideration for unique background scenarios and barriers observed in the study. The resulting guidance can be considered by states as they install policies and take action in addressing Recovery Act requirements.
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