Washington Builders Lawsuit to Rollback Energy Code Heads to Court
On February 3, a motion hearing will be heard in federal court regarding a lawsuit seeking changes in the 2009 Washington State Energy Code (WSEC). The 2009 WSEC was originally scheduled to take effect July 1, 2010, but the State Building Code Council (SBCC) voted to delay the implementation date to January 1, 2011. While the new code (estimated to be more stringent than the 2009 IECC) took effect, the lawsuit filed by the Building Industry Association of Washington (BIAW) in May 2010 continued through the legal process under the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.
Multiple resources on the 2009 WSEC residential provisions are available through the Washington State University Energy Extension Program, including:
- Significant changes from the residential provisions of the 2006 WSEC
- Incremental first cost analyses for residential and non-residential buildings. The residential report shows that in a gas heated house of average size house the cost of applying the 2009 WSEC is about $1.00 per sq. ft. The return on investment to the homeowner occurs around Year 3 of home ownership
- An extensive 2011 training schedule, including courses on energy code compliance, duct testing, ENERGY STAR/PTCS/HERS rater certification, and industrial equipment
More Information: BCAP Washington Code News | 2009 WSEC | BIAW Press Release | State Building Code Council | WSU Energy Extension Program | WSU 2011 Training Schedule | Cost Analyses: Residential & Non-residential
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