Nov 8 2010
At hearings held by the International Code Council (ICC) last week in Charlotte, North Carolina, nearly 500 participating state and local government officials approved a new model national energy conservation code for 2012 that would raise energy efficiency standards for home and commercial building construction, additions and renovations. In states and localities where the new International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) is adopted, it could boost the energy efficiency of new homes by 30 percent.
The American Chemistry Council (ACC) issued the following statement:
"We applaud the ICC's significant achievement toward improving building energy efficiency and conservation across the country. We are especially encouraged that the new model code meets the 30 percent improvement target sought by the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the National Association of State Energy Officials, governors, lawmakers, the Energy Efficient Codes Coalition (EECC) and the ACC. We urge every state and locality in the nation to adopt, implement and enforce the 2012 model energy conservation code.
"Energy efficiency has long been a priority for the chemistry industry. Many chemistry products contribute to energy efficiency and conservation in building and construction. Use of chemistry-intensive products such as plastic foam insulation, housewraps, plastic window frames and glazing films, siding, roofing, caulks, sealants, roof coatings and solar panels is expected to substantially contribute to meeting the new standards. In our own plants, we've improved energy efficiency by 58 percent since 1974 and 36 percent since 1990.
"Congress can help, too, by passing legislation that improves residential and commercial energy efficiency building code standards. We support the building code measures in the American Clean Energy Leadership Act (S. 1462), sponsored by Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.)."
Source: http://www.americanchemistry.com/