Connecticut will adopt stricter building codes in 2013 in a move designed to improve energy efficiency in buildings by at least 15 percent. But the changes come with a steep learning curve for designers and a cost premium for builders.
“There is a fairly significant jump,” said Joseph Cassidy, state building inspector. “The requirements are becoming more stringent. That is the way we are going as a society.”
The state’s Codes & Standards Committee is debating adopting the 2012 version of the International Energy Conservation Code as part of an update to the entire family of building codes, which also includes occupancy, fire protection, and roof construction regulations.
The debate may result in some tweaking of the codes as currently written by the International Code Council, but Cassidy said he expects they should be adopted and implemented basically as is by late 2013. The codes would apply to all new construction and renovations on commercial and residential buildings.
While mainly in the realm of the Department of Construction Services, the new codes also are part of Gov. Dannel Malloy’s comprehensive energy strategy, which calls for increased energy efficiency throughout the state. The Department of Energy & Environmental Protection is having two public meetings to discuss the new codes Nov. 27-28.
Connecticut adopted the 2009 version of the International Energy Conservation Code last year, which represented a 5 percent increase in the efficiency standards over the previous codes. The state adopted that version in order to qualify for federal grants under the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act.
The efficiency standards in the new edition to be adopted next year are approaching the limit of available technology and force architects and engineers to learn significantly more, said Frederick Wajcs, energy code consultant and vice-chair of the 18-member state Codes & Standards Committee.
“It requires a lot more thinking than the current codes,” Wajcs said.
The new codes not only require newer technology but extra steps in the construction process, such as checking air ducts for leaks and performing blower door tests.
Because of the extra work involved and the cost of new materials, Wajcs said he expects the 2012 version of the codes to increase the cost of construction in Connecticut.
“It has got to cost more,” Wajcs said.
Even with the steep learning curve, the Connecticut architectural community will meet the new codes once they are implemented, said Diane Harp Jones, chief executive officer of the Connecticut branch of the American Institute of Architects.
“The design and construction industry will be fine. You just have to tell the industry what they have to design to,” Jones said. “As long as we know it is coming down the pike … we design accordingly.”
Despite the design industry’s confidence, Wajcs said not all firms will catch on immediately to the new codes. The state building industry already is behind in meeting compliance standards for the current codes, he said.
As part of the federal requirements, Connecticut’s construction industry should be 90 percent compliant with the 2009 version of the codes. From what Wajcs said he heard around the industry, Connecticut isn’t even close, although the state has never done a compliance assessment. Rhode Island’s assessment showed that state is 70 percent compliant, and Massachusetts’ assessment showed 80 percent compliance.
“Why adopt a more stringent code if you don’t have compliance with the lower, simpler code?” Wajcs said.
The building industry has been moving toward greater sustainability in design for the past 10-15 years, said Jim McManus, principal at Glastonbury design-build firm S/L/A/M Collaborative.
The more progressive private sector clients already are at or above the codes set to be adopted next year, McManus said. Most public buildings in Connecticut are required to be built to the silver standard of the Leadership in Energy & Environment Design, or LEED, program, which exceeds the standards of the new codes.
“Really, in the long run, it is a positive for society,” McManus said.
In order to keep construction costs down, designers can do little things that help with energy efficiency and save money, such as using less glass in walls, McManus said.
Connecticut’s stricter building codes have led Malloy to consider stricter appliance codes as part of the comprehensive energy strategy as well. Although merely a suggestion, Malloy’s strategy calls for coordinating with other states to harmonize regional appliance standards and offer incentives to commercial users to upgrade to more energy efficient appliances.
In 2010, the Connecticut General Assembly passed legislation requiring all appliance to become Energy Star certified, although then-Gov. M. Jodi Rell vetoed the bill.
Energy Star appliances are becoming more popular in Connecticut, said Dan Saunders, sales manager for S.K. Lavery Appliance Co. in West Hartford. The appliances typically cost more, but customers see the benefits of energy efficiency.
Customers purchasing energy efficient appliances have complained some versions don’t work as well as older models — washing machines don’t get clothes as clean, etc. — and there’s an entire group of people that ignore the Energy Star models altogether, Saunders said.
“You do get some old timers that don’t want to have anything to do with it,” Saunders said.
