How Can You Claim Savings from Building Codes?
Published: April 25, 2012
Kate Drexler
By now, most demand-side management (DSM) industry practitioners are probably aware of the pioneer U.S. states and Canadian provinces that allow utilities to claim the incremental savings from buildings constructed to more-efficient energy codes. What may be less obvious, however, is how these allowances came to fruition.
Do you want to know their secrets? Recently, we explored how utilities in Arizona, British Columbia, California, and the Pacific Northwest made it possible to take credit for the energy savings from each new structure built to code. Based on our interviews with utilities in these regions, we outline a number of lessons that these pioneers learned, including how to:
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Dispel regulators’ skepticism. Initially, regulators may be skeptical of utilities’ underlying motivation to claim savings from codes, suspecting that they’re simply trying to capture easy savings.
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Demonstrate a need for utility involvement in codes. Many regulators are hesitant to give credit to utilities for buildings constructed to new codes because they reason that these are mandatory laws that must be complied with regardless of the utility’s involvement.
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Navigate attribution issues. One of the biggest challenges to claiming savings from buildings codes is determining how much credit should be given to utilities for their involvement in advancing new codes and enhancing compliance rates for existing codes.
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Create political goodwill. Advancing codes and standards is inherently a political process, so getting stakeholders on board is essential to capturing savings from building codes.
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Define the utility’s role in codes work. There are several roles utilities can play to make building codes successful. Further, these roles can be undertaken at local, state, regional, and national levels, depending on what types of policies states and provinces already have in place.
Rather than let rising baselines cannibalize their DSM portfolio, these pioneers made energy codes compatible with their programs. Their experiences provide a set of best practices for other utilities that want to follow suit.
For more information on claiming savings from building codes, please contact us. You can also read our recent blog post To Claim Savings from Codes and Standards, Hire a Campaign Manager. |
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About the Author
Kate Drexler
SENIOR RESEARCH ASSOCIATE
Kate Drexler provides research, analysis, and consultation to E Source members on policy and program issues related to energy efficiency and demand-side management (DSM). Through her work at the Colorado Governor’s Energy Office, she has direct experience managing energy efficiency and utility DSM programs for low-income customers. Specifically, she brings to E Source members expertise in design, implementation, and evaluation of energy-efficiency programs. At the University of Denver, Kate received an MA in international political economy with a focus on energy, development, and economics. In addition, she holds a BA in public relations and marketing from Ithaca College.
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