August 28, 2024 | Jim Meyers, Buildings Program Director
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Over the past two months, I’ve been involved in the process of updating local municipalities in southern Nevada to adopt the 2024 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). Each week, a committee of building officials, builders, tradespeople, architects, engineers like myself, and members of the public met to discuss potential amendments to the code.
This time, I noticed a new stakeholder in the room — an affordable housing developer, who is not typically involved in the development of local amendments. Having worked with other affordable housing developers on code adoptions in other jurisdictions, I thought, “Together, we’ll be able to fully adopt the 2024 IECC, maybe even with some stretch requirements.” However, as the meetings progressed, I was shocked by the proposals from this particular developer: deleting code requirements, removing entire sections, weakening items meant to protect health and safety, and completely exempting affordable housing from energy efficiency improvements.
The need for more affordable housing across the United States is urgent, but developers and policymakers often overlook that affordability isn’t just about the cost of constructing these homes — it’s also about the cost of living in them. Energy codes set the minimum standard for energy efficiency in building design, which directly leads to lower utility bills and makes these homes more affordable over their entire lifespan.
Energy efficiency and newer energy codes significantly impact affordable housing. Families living in affordable housing typically have limited financial resources, so reducing monthly energy costs can greatly improve their ability to afford other essentials like food, education, healthcare, and transportation. Beyond reducing financial burdens, energy-efficient buildings also contribute to a healthier environment for these families.
In these hearings, however, the affordable housing developer’s proposed amendments were always focused on reducing initial construction costs while ignoring ongoing expenses for both occupants and owners. This stance was upsetting to me and many other participants, as it disregarded the potential impact of higher energy costs on future residents. Some of this developer’s proposals would have also eliminated efficiency standards for other building types covered by that section of the code.
A frequent point of contention was the need for building testing. Claims like “We don’t need any testing. Who really cares about air infiltration rates? It’s okay to have seven air changes per hour even when outside temperatures are extreme in winter or summer” were made. Fortunately, many building officials did not support these proposals, and they were either disapproved or withdrawn.
The environmental effects of these proposals might have been completely ignored if a few of us hadn’t insisted on keeping this aspect of the building equation in the conversation. As we know, buildings are one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for approximately a third of U.S. energy-related emissions, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. By adhering to new and more stringent energy codes, affordable housing developers can help mitigate climate impacts by reducing the carbon footprint of their new residential buildings.
Since one of the common complaints from this developer was the cost impact of construction and how these costs would be passed on to occupants, I reached out to ICAST (International Center for Appropriate and Sustainable Technology), a nonprofit organization that supports improving efficiency and decarbonizing affordable housing across many states. ICAST’s executive director, Ravi Malhotra, explained, “One of the myths in the affordable housing industry is that it cannot afford to build very high-performance all-electric properties. The reality is that eliminating natural gas and its associated infrastructure and ongoing costs from the building design actually reduces the construction budget by typically thousands of dollars per unit, even before the incentives available from their utility, state, and federal government.”
Back at the southern Nevada meetings, we found ourselves educating this developer with each amendment proposal, helping them better understand the building code and explore the many different options available for their projects.
As the demand for affordable housing continues to grow, the importance of energy codes and affordable energy bills will only increase. Each new iteration of the IECC presents an opportunity to push the boundaries of energy efficiency, sustainability, and ongoing cost savings. Moving forward, policymakers, developers, and advocates must work together to ensure that energy codes are maintained and strengthened for affordable housing. This will require a commitment to investing in new technologies and construction practices that can deliver even greater energy savings without driving up the cost of housing — and a commitment to bringing developers up to speed on these advancements. Moreover, it’s important to recognize that energy codes are just one piece of the puzzle. By taking a holistic approach to affordable housing, we can create communities that are not only affordable but also resilient, healthy, and environmentally responsible.
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