An international organization that develops model codes and standards for new construction is quietly preparing an energy efficiency code, which opponents say is a back door to combating climate change and will lead to higher house prices.
The International Code Council (ICC), a Washington, D.C.-based organization that regulates new construction and regularly publishes more than a dozen codes that affect billions of people around the world, announced early next week The International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) is scheduled to be completed in 2024. While previous editions of the IECC have met with little opposition, the 2024 edition has been widely criticized for prioritizing tackling climate change over energy efficiency.
Karen Herbert, president and CEO of the American Gas Association (AGA), said in an interview on Fox News Digital, “They want to encourage electrification and exclude the natural gas industry from being part of the code. It’s discriminatory,” he said. “That is truly anti-competitive behavior.”
“If they care about energy efficiency, they should say, ‘We care about energy efficiency to get there,’ which means being fuel neutral. But in this case, they don’t specify how to get there. It only includes electrification.”
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A man installs solar panels on the roof of a house. (AP Photo/John Minchillo/File)
AGA, whose members provide natural gas service to 180 million customers across the United States, has argued in recent months that the ICC has developed its 2024 guidance. energy efficiency code The failure to involve them constitutes a “gross failure to follow due process.” Additionally, it said the code would harm consumers and lead to higher costs.
Major gas industry groups, other energy industry groups, housing groups, and the Northeast Regional Chapter of the ICC filed an appeal in late December and early January seeking revisions to the 2024 IECC. However, the ICC’s Appeals Committee recommended this month that those appeals be dismissed, leaving the final decision to the organization’s board of directors. It’s scheduled for Monday.
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Among the opposing provisions, the IECC draft, which has been in the works for years, would require new single- and duplex homes and townhouses to have electrical infrastructure for home electric vehicle chargers. ing. Newly built homes are also required to install solar panel systems and electrical wiring for all electrical appliances.
According to the AGA, these measures and other provisions were largely included in the IECC as part of an omnibus package in September 2022 after being rejected through the regular process.
The 2024 IECC includes provisions mandating electric vehicle charging capabilities in residential and commercial construction. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/File)
“Activists supporting the all-electric policy tried to get in through the policy front door by banning natural gas in urban areas, but it was overturned by the 9th Circuit,” Herbert told Fox News Digital. . “They tried to ban gas at the state level, and now that’s being challenged. And they tried to do it through regulation, and they’ve failed.”
“So we’re going to go through a very low-profile, very unstable, very technical process, but it has the same purpose,” she continued, referring to the IECC process. “They came through the front door, they came through the back door, and now they’re coming through the back door.”
In addition to the AGA, the American Public Gas Association, the Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Association, a trade group for appliance manufacturers, the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA), and the National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) also appealed to the 2024 IECC. . .
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“As a long-time supporter of ICC rules and standards, I am concerned that this version of the IECC misses the mark,” Paula Chino, NMHC’s vice president of construction, development, land use and advisory, wrote in a written statement. He told FOX News Digital. statement.
“Without action by the ICC Board on cabin provisions that exceed the scope of the code, this IECC will threaten housing affordability and burden renters with the cost of undesirable or unusable technology.” she added.
NMHC and BOMA say the 2024 IECC will impose additional costs on Americans, including low-income households. (St. Petersburg)
In a December appeal filed jointly with BOMA, NMHC specifically criticized the IECC’s electric vehicle charging provision and another provision that requires new homes to have so-called demand-responsive control of hot water systems, which would allow third parties to use the system in the event of a disaster. has made it possible to reduce household energy consumption. High demand. NMHC and BOMA argued that the 2024 IECC would impose additional costs on Americans, including low-income households.
The ICC Region IV branch, which covers the Northeast, also warned that the 2024 IECC could have a negative impact on the economy.
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Collectively, jurisdictions spanning 48 states and representing more than 119 million Americans administer the IECC. ICC CEO Dominic Sims said late last year that the code was an essential tool to “achieve energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reduction goals.”
“The model building energy code submitted to the International Code Council represents a consensus among builders, building code officials, and energy efficiency advocates,” said Jennifer Ammann, senior fellow at the Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, which promotes electrification. It represents,” he said. policy. “Energy waste in new homes will be reduced, lowering utility bills for homeowners and reducing pollution.”
“The International Code Council’s board should approve this common sense proposal and not bow to special interests representing polluting industries,” she told Fox News Digital.
Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images/File)
The debate over the group’s energy efficiency standards comes amid a broader push by environmental groups by activists and Democratic-led local governments in the U.S. to electrify the residential and commercial sectors, which account for the largest share of total end-use carbon emissions. is happening. As part of its efforts, the government is banning natural gas connections and replacing gas stoves, water heaters and electric furnaces with electric alternatives.
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At the same time, the Biden administration is introducing a series of regulations cracking down on popular home appliances, forcing them to become more efficient. Additionally, under the Inflation Control Act, he allocated $1 billion in grants to local governments to support his IECC implementation of the ICC.
The ICC declined to comment, and the Department of Energy did not respond to a request for comment at the time of writing.
