New Hampshire

Current Codes

New Hampshire State Building Code

Code Type: Residential, Commercial

Based on: 2009 IECC, ASHRAE 90.1-2007 Mandatory

Date Effective: Thursday, April 1, 2010

Date Passed: Friday, December 11, 2009

Expand All

Additional Code Information

Code Adoption & Change Process

Code Change Process:

REGULATORY: The New Hampshire Building Code Review Board has the authority (NH RSA XII, 155-A:1) to change the standards within the code. The procedure consists of public hearings held by the Review Board followed by public adoption or rejection of proposed amendments. Through ratification legislation, the New Hampshire General Court (the state legislature) must concur with any amendments adopted by the Board within two years of their effective date or the code reverts to the prior version.

Code Change Cycle:

No set schedule. The most recent code update became effective April 1, 2010 and was ratified by the state legislature on June 18, 2012.

Next Code Update:

No set schedule.

History

Previous Codes: The original energy code for New Hampshire was enacted in response to PL-94-163. This enabling legislation was RSA 155:D, which applied to both residential and commercial buildings and was based on ASHRAE/IES Standard 90-75 and the National Conference of States on Building Codes and Standards "Code for Energy Conservation in New Building Construction" dated December 1977. RSA 155:C, which related to energy conservation in state-owned buildings, was later repealed. The residential standards and administrative sections of RSA 155:D were revised in 1986.

The standards for commercial buildings were revised in 1993 to reflect the EPAct requirement for compliance with ASHRAE/IESNA 90.1-1989. In 1998, MEC95 standards were adopted. The Building Code Review Board and the General Court adopted the 2000 IECC in 2002.

In 2007, New Hampshire adopted the 2006 IECC Zone 6 as its residential and commercial energy codes.

2009 IECC Update: After it approved the 2009 IECC and other 2009 I-Codes in May 2009, the New Hampshire State Building Code Review Board finalized the adoption process on December 11, 2009 as it reviewed several proposed amendments, rejecting most but approving an exemption for log homes.

Effective April 1, 2010, the New Hampshire State Building Code has been amended to reference the 2009 IECC [NOTE: the 2009 IRC requirements for automatic sprinkler systems in one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses will NOT take affect until April 1, 2012 unless required by local ordinance].

On June 18, 2012, New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch signed a bill (HB 137) into law ratifying a December 2009 rule promulgated by the New Hampshire State Building Code Review Board updating the New Hampshirte State Building Code. Since April 1, 2010, this state code has included the 2009 IECC. State law requires the New Hampshire Legislature to ratify regulatory agency rules within two years.

****

Local 2012 IECC Adoption: On January 24, 2011, the Town Council of Durham, New Hampshire approved legislation (Ordinance #2011-02), making the town of 15,000 one of the first jurisdictions to adopt the 2012 IECC. The ordinance specifies compliance with the 2012 IECC’s requirements for Climate Zone 6.

Information last updated August 8, 2012

Basic Facts

Climate Zone:

6A, 5A (zones based on DOE's most recent zoning: zone numbers based on a spectrum, zone 1 represents very hot weather and zone 8 represents subarctic weather. Letters indicate climate type, A-Humid, B-Dry, C-Marine)

Population:

1,324,575 (2009, U.S. Census Bureau)

Construction Activity:

New Housing Units Authorized by Permit:
Total units: 3,234
Number of Housing Units by Structure Type:
1 unit: 2,333
2 units: 92
3 and 4 units: 66
5 or more units: 743
(2008, Real Estate Center)

Projected Construction Rate:

Single family dwelling:2,333 (-38% less than previous year), and with an average value of $211,000 per unit.
(2008, Real Estate Center)

CO2 Emissions:

19.02 MMT CO₂ (2007)

Energy Data

Primary Energy Source:

Petroleum: 39.7% (2007, EIA)

Energy Consumption:

Total Annual Energy Consumption of 314.2 trillion Btu (2007, EIA)

Energy Expenditures:

5,334.6 Million Nominal Dollars (2007, EIA)

Energy Snapshot:

58% of the fuel oil supply in New Hampshire is consumed to heat residential homes.

Residential use of natural gas costs $18.83/thousand cubic ft.

The transportation and residential sectors are New Hampshire’s largest energy consumers.

Source: EIA

Climate Concerns

Regional Issues & State Action:

According to the United States Global Change Research Program, extreme heat and declining air quality are likely to pose increasing problems for human health, especially in urban areas. In addition, agricultural production, including dairy, fruit, and maple syrup, are likely to be adversely affected while significant sea-level rise and storm surge will effect coastal cities and ecosystems around the nation. In the northeast, the annual average temperature has increased by 2°F since 1970, with winter temperatures rising twice this much. The effects of climate change could significantly alter the region’s economy, landscape, character, and quality of life.

In March 2009 the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) completed a Climate Action Plan. The Climate Action Plan focuses on reducing emissions by 80% while creating the best long-term economic benefits possible. The plan addresses the efficiency of both new and existing buildings including upgrading the current residential and commercial building energy code and increasing compliance. In addition, New Hampshire is a member of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) which is a "cooperative effort by ten Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states to limit greenhouse gas emissions. RGGI is the first mandatory, market-based CO2 emissions reduction program in the United States."

BCAP Estimated Energy Savings

By implementing the 2009 IECC and Standard 90.1-2007 statewide, New Hampshire businesses and homeowners will save an estimated $16 million annually by 2020 and $31 million annually by 2030 in energy costs (assuming 2006 prices).

Additionally, implementing the latest model codes will help avoid about 3 trillion Btu of primary annual energy use by 2030 and annual emissions of more than 0.2 million metric tons of CO₂ by 2030.

Resources

Discussions

No discussions found.

Groups

Northeast Region

People

Jared Eigerman	Jennifer Ferrante	BKerker	rlebrun
b09ed	hd28player

Advocacy Opportunities	Status	Explanations
Adoopt Mandatory Codes		Residential: New Hampshire has a mandatory statewide residential code that references the 2006 IECC and is amended to Climate Zone 6. Commercial: New Hampshire has a mandatory statewide commercial code that references the 2006 IECC and is amended to Climate Zone 6. Local governments may adopt different requirements only if those requirements are more stringent than the state code.
Adopt an Automatic Review & Update Process		Currently, New Hampshire does not have a set schedule for reviewing and updating the energy codes. The last update process took place on August 17, 2007.
Create a Regulatory Process		The New Hampshire Building Code Review Board has the authority to change the standards within the code. The procedure consists of public hearings held by a Review Board followed by public adoption or rejection of the proposed amendments. The New Hampshire General Court (the state legislature) must concur with any amendments adopted by the Board within two years or the code reverts to the prior version.
Improve Compliance		Residential: All plans must be submitted to the local building code official. Compliance is shown by either 1) submitting a letter of certification for the building from a New Hampshire-licensed architect or engineer to the town with a copy forwarded to the public utility commission or 2) processing an application for certificate of compliance through the public utility commission or the local building code official. If there is no code official, then the plans and a certificate of compliance application must be sent to the public utility commission for review and certification. REScheck may be used to comply. Commercial: All plans must be submitted to the local building code official. Compliance is shown by either 1) submitting a letter of certification for the building from a New Hampshire-licensed architect or engineer to the town with a copy forwarded to the public utility commission or 2) processing an application for certificate of compliance through the public utility commission or the local building code official. If there is no code official, then the plans and a certificate of compliance application must be sent to the public utility commission for review and certification. COMcheck may be used to comply On May 8, 2009, the New Hampshire Building Code Review Board adopted the 2009 IECC in its entirety effective October 1, 2009. Mandatory statewide, the code will include amendments to be considered at a public hearing on June 12.
Eliminate Weakening Amendments
Add Strengthening Amendments
Allow Innovation at the Local Level		Local governments may adopt different requirements only if those requirements are more stringent than the state code.
Set Milestones
Adopt Green Codes		State Wide Program: New Hampshire. Energy Efficiency Standards for State Government Buildings, 2005 Program Description: Executive Order 2005-04: New construction and renovation designs should exceed the state energy code by at least 20% and energy modeling should be used during the design processes. Energy Standard: Commercial LEED Certification: below is summarized from LEED NC, details vary according to certification program. Mandatory: minimum 10% compliance beyond ASHRAE 90.1-2007, or use of NBI's Core Performance or one of ASHRAE's Advanced Energy Design Guidelines. LEED options include: optimize energy performance, on-site renewable energy, enhanced commissioning, enhanced refrigerant management, measurement & verification, and green power. City Wide Program: Derry, New Hampshire. Green Building Policy, 2008 Program Description: Derry Town Council adopted a green building policy requiring all new construction or major renovations to town-owned or town-funded projects to achieve LEED Certified. In addition, this policy also requires the purchase of alternative fuel and hybrid vehicles for the town’s fleet. Energy Standard: Commercial LEED Certification: below is summarized from LEED NC, details vary according to certification program. Mandatory: minimum 10% compliance beyond ASHRAE 90.1-2007, or use of NBI's Core Performance or one of ASHRAE's Advanced Energy Design Guidelines. LEED options include: optimize energy performance, on-site renewable energy, enhanced commissioning, enhanced refrigerant management, measurement & verification, and green power.

August 2009

Resources:

ICLEI - international association of local governments and their associations
www.iclei.org
New Hampshire has nine local government members:
Dover, Epping, Gilford, Keene, Nashua, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Rochester, and Southwest Region.

Mayors Climate Protection Center
www.usmayors.org
Eight New Hampshire Mayors have signed The U.S. Conference of Mayors’ Climate Protection Agreement:
(City)
Concord, Dover, Hanover, Keene, Manchester, Nashua, Portsmouth, and Rochester.

International Codes Council (ICC) Regional Support and State Offices:
Ms. Janice Moy
ICC Chicago District Office
4051 West Flossmoor Road
Country Club Hills, IL 60478
Phone: 1-888-422-7233, Ext. 4525
JMoy@iccsafe.org

Mr. Bruce Johnson
Regional Manager
P.O. Box 655
Jamesport, NY 11947-0655
Phone: 1-888-422-7233, Ext. 7276
BEJohnson@iccsafe.org

Current Codes

Resources

Discussions

Groups

People

Resources:

User login

Contact

Related Links