BUILDING ENERGY CONSERVATION PROGRAMS - A PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION OF REGULATORY ACTIVITIES AT THE STATE LEVEL

• NCJ Number: 64697
• Author(s): P W COOKE; R M EISENHARD
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 125 pages
• Corporate Author: US Dept of Commerce
• Sale Source: US Dept of Commerce
• Publication Type: Best Practice/State-of-the-Art Review
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THIS STATE-OF-THE-ART STUDY PRESENTS AN OVERVIEW OF EXISTING BUILDING ENERGY CONSERVATION PROGRAMS IN 21 SELECTED STATES TO PROVIDE A DATA BASE FOR PROMOTING BUILDING THERMAL EFFICIENCY STANDARDS IN THE U.S.

Abstract

THE STATES INCLUDED ARE CALIFORNIA, COLORADO, CONNECTICUT, FLORIDA, GEORGIA, ILLINOIS, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, NEVADA, NEW JERSEY, NEW MEXICO, AND NEW YORK. ALSO INCLUDED ARE NORTH CAROLINA, OHIO, OREGON, PENNSYLVANIA, TEXAS, VIRGINIA, WASHINGTON, AND WISCONSIN. THE STUDY SOUGHT TO IDENTIFY STATE REGULATIONS AND THE EXTENT OF THEIR ENFORCEMENT, AND TO PROVIDE AN INITIAL OVERVIEW OF SUCCESSES AND DIFFICULTIES ENCOUNTERED IN IMPLEMENTING VARIOUS ENERGY CONSERVATION PROGRAMS. PERSONAL INTERVIEWS WERE CONDUCTED WITH STATE BUILDING REGULATORY AND ENERGY CONSERVATION OFFICIALS, AS WELL AS WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF THREE OF THE MODEL BUILDING CODE ORGANIZATIONS. THE STUDY IDENTIFIED THE FOLLOWING MAJOR PROBLEMS BEING FACED BY THE STATES: (1) LACK OF FUNDING FOR STATE BUILDING REGULATORY AGENCY DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF ENERGY REGULATIONS; (2) LACK OF SUFFICIENT EDUCATION AND TRAINING FOR CODE ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL; AND (3) INADEQUATE PRODUCT CERTIFICATION AND LABELING OF HVAC (HEATING, VENTILATING, AND AIR CONDITIONING) AND INSULATION MATERIALS. TYPES OF ASSISTANCE NEEDED BY THE STATES ARE A UNIFORM, ACCEPTABLE ENERGY CONSERVATION CODE BASED ON ASHRAE (AMERICAN SOCIETY OF HEATING, REFRIGERATING, AND (AIR CONDITIONING ENGINEERS) STANDARD 90-75; AN EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM FOR ALL LEVELS OF REGULATORY PERSONNEL; AND RESEARCH INTO THE COST FOR LOCAL AGENCY IMPLEMENTATION OF AN ENERGY CODE, INCLUDING COSTS FOR PERSONNEL NEEDED TO ENFORCE SUCH A CODE. INTEGRATION OF ENERGY CONSERVATION PRODUCTS AND EQUIPMENT INTO AN ACCEPTABLE PRODUCT BY STATE STANDARDS, BETTER COMMUNICATION AMONG STATES' BUILDING REGULATORY AND THE ENERGY AGENCIES, AND UNIFORM STANDARDS FOR SOLAR EQUIPMENT ALSO ARE CALLED FOR AS IS LEGISLATION DEALING WITH PRESERVATION OF SOLAR EASEMENTS TO PROTECT SUN RIGHTS OF USERS. A GLOSSARY OF ACRONYMS, TABLES, AND APPENDIXES CONTAINING STATE REPORTS, LISTS OF AGENCIES, AN INTERVIEW GUIDE, AND RELATED DOCUMENTS ARE PROVIDED. (PRG)