Changes to the State Energy Code adding $12,000 to the cost of a new home will take effect January 1, 2011 according to the State Building Code Council (SBCC) which voted 13-2 on Friday to adopt the changes. The SBCC rejected Governor Gregoire's request to delay the implementation of the expensive new codes until April.
The SBCC vote is a huge disappointment for BIAW members, but it was not surprising considering the SBCC has no concern for the housing industry. In fact, SBCC members appointed by the Governor to represent the building industry are not even builders. They are energy and sustainability consultants.
The new energy codes were originally scheduled to go into effect July 1, 2010, but after the Governor's request for a nine month delay, the SBCC approved a 120 day delay. Gregoire's request for a delay and the SBCC's subsequent actions came on the heels of a lawsuit filed by BIAW in federal court challenging part of the energy code on the grounds that it is more stringent than federal regulations and thus is preempted by federal law. This lawsuit is pending in federal court.
BIAW and association members testified that the energy code's new effective date should be extended beyond the initial 120-day delay and urged SBCC members, at the very least, to honor the Governor's original request to delay the energy code until April 2011. With the current state of the economy and tight credit and low appraisals plaguing the homebuilding industry, homebuilders and homebuyers cannot absorb energy code changes adding $12,000 to the cost of new homes.
BIAW will continue to fight these costly changes through its ongoing lawsuit against the SBCC. We would like to thank our NCHBA members who responded to the recent Call-to-Action requests to write letters to the State Building Codes Council, requesting that they delay implementation.
For more information and to view a copy of the energy code, visit: http://www.biaw.com/Code_Updates.aspx
Posted on: Thursday, January 20, 2011
