Developing, Adopting and Implementing

Building Energy Codes: Enforcement

Infrastructure
Meredydd Evans

3rd CEEDS Workshop: Building Energy Codes and

Labeling
Bangkok, September 8, 2010

1
 Overview
Introduction
Development and Adoption of Codes in Asia-Pacific
Implementation
Testing and Rating Products
Enforcement framework and use of 3rd parties
Tools and training
Incentives and penalties
Enforcement framework
Use of third parties: benefits and challenges
Tools and training
Incentives and penalties

2
 Scenarios for Building Energy Demand

Building Total Final Energy by Region

350

300

Southeast Asia
250
China
India
200 Middle East
EJ

Former Soviet Union

150 Europe
Africa

100 Latin America & Caribbean

North America
OECD Asia
50

0
1990 2005 2020 2035 2050 2065 2080 2095

Buildings matter for energy and climate: in most

countries today, buildings account for 30-40% of final
energy demand.
3
 History of Building Energy Standards

75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08
AUS
Commercial
Residential
CAN
Commercial
Residential
CHN
Commercial
Residential
IND
Commercial
JAP
Commercial
Residential
KOR
Commercial/Residential
USA
MEC
Commercial
ASHRAE
MEC
Residential
ASHRAE
 Some Milestones for Developing Codes
1. Enabling legislation*
2. Survey of construction practices with help of
stakeholders*
3. Analysis to develop code, or identification of a model
code from a comparable country*
4. Draft or adapt model code
5. Roadmap for enforcement*
6. Product testing and rating: labs and protocols*
7. Expansion of product availability with manufacturers*
8. Code training and support materials (guides, tips sheets)
9. Software for code compliance
10. As move to implementation: enforcement monitoring,
system to periodically revise code, expanded training
5
*Items that can start as soon as possible
Key Elements are Interrelated and Work to Achieve
Results

Code Development Infrastructure

- Needed to assess
- Sends a strong message
key building components
to economy
- Likely starting point, but
- Sets goals to strive for
hard to get interest w/o codes

Enforcement
-Key issue to achieve results, but
often not investigated deep enough
-Core problems include lack of product
ratings, product availability, lack of knowledge
 Integrating Development and Implementation

Involving stakeholders can ease implementation, but

requires compromise
Decide on scope (commercial, residential, building size,
etc.), considering need for implementation
Importance of analysis to facilitate adoption, compliance:
Understanding of current construction practices
Cost-benefit analysis of measures included in code for common
building types

7
 Structural Comparison: Commercial Codes

AUS CAN CHN IND JAP KOR USA

Envelope
HVAC
Hot water
Lighting (separate
code)

Electrical
power
Trade off
paths
Renewables
Maintenance

8
Adoption system: comparison in Asia-Pacific
region

Japan, Korea and China all have codes adopted at the

national level, though in China, local governments can
modify.
Australia, the U.S., Canada and India have national
model codes and local-level adoption. Australia’s code is
adopted in full by all its states.
Australian government negotiated this with states and industry in
2000. Updates occur through stakeholder process, but all states
agree to adopt.
The extent to which codes are mandatory also varies. Ex:
Indian states have not adopted code yet, so Indian code
is not mandatory.
U.S. Adoption of Energy Codes

States and local jurisdictions are the adopters of energy codes

in the US

Federal legislation requires states to

adopt the latest version of ASHRAE Standard 90.1 for large buildings
consider adoption of the latest version of the IECC for houses
for which DOE has issued a formal determination of energy
savings, indicating that that version saves energy.

Unfortunately, the legislation has no penalties for states that

ignore the requirement, so states can and do ignore it.
 Importance of Testing and Rating

Provides developers and designers with reliable

information on component efficiency for building design
Allows inspectors to easily check if components match
design
Encourages manufacturers to innovate and to produce
high-quality, consistent products

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Testing Used for Product Certification

Fenestration:
• Simulation of U-factor, Solar Heat Gain Factor and
Visible transmittance - ISO 15099
• U-factor testing - ASTM C 1363, C1199, NFRC 102
Hot Box
• Solar Heat Gain Testing – NFRC 201
• Spectral Optical Property – ASTM E903, NFRC 300,
301
• Air Leakage – ASTM E283, NFRC 400
Wall Insulation
• ASTM C 518, C 177
Wall System Solar Calorimeter

• ASTM C1363, ASTM C1155

Spectrophotometer
Air Leakage
Enforcement Framework

Government inspectors, private inspectors or hybrid

system
Sanctions for non-compliance?
Forbidding occupancy or sale in cases of non-compliance, fines
proportional to value of wasted energy, publishing names of non-
compliers
Incentives for exceeding code?
Low interest loans and grants, relaxing zoning requirements
Training and tools like code software
Energy Code Compliance and Enforcement
Framework in the US
 Construction site inspection roles in China
Construction Construction Testing Labs
Company Supervision
Company

Quality Control
and Testing
Station

Developer

Construction
Administration
Dept.
15
Third Party Code Enforcement –
US Examples

In Wisconsin, for example, certified building designers

must sign the occupancy permit, indicating that the
construction matches the design. Designers who do not
properly verify construction in this jurisdiction can lose
their license, which provides a strong incentive.

In Fairfax County, Virginia, developers can hire certified

third parties to speed the inspection process, but the third
party cannot have a financial interest in the project.
Information, Tools and Training

Free info? Free Free Gov’t

codes? compliance training?
software?
Australia Yes No No Yes
Canada Yes No Yes Yes
China Yes No No Yes
India Limited Yes Soon Not yet
Japan Yes Yes Yes Yes
Korea Yes Yes Limited Yes
U.S. Yes Mixed Yes Yes
 Compliance Software

Helps make compliance simple, mainstreams the process

User friendliness critical for proper use and widespread
adoption
Examples:
U.S.: REScheck and COMcheck
China: PKPM-Energy and its compliance add-ons
India: ECOnirman
Challenges: software methodology not described in code
(China, India, Japan); lack of data on building assembly
properties; complexity of the software and user error;
costly to develop and maintain

18
 Other Common Tools

User guides
Tip sheets on specific compliance topics (installing
insulation, certain calculations, etc.)
Hotlines and help desks
Articles, presentations and other web-based materials
China: Code for Acceptance

19
Comparative Highlights

7 Asia-Pacific country reports7 Asia-Pacific country

reports + Comparative report
www.energycodes.gov/implement/country_reports.stm
ACEEE article on enforcement system in China
Final thoughts

Standards are becoming stricter everywhere;

enforcement is getting stronger.
Enforcement is critical to see results.
Involving stakeholders in development can ease
implementation
Identify levers: do the people responsible for plan review
and inspections have an incentive to do their job well? Do
they have the resources?
Make code implementation easy
Globally, how can we cooperate to facilitate code development
and implementation?