H.R. 3586 Defines DOE Role in the Development of Model Energy Codes
Press Release Summary:
AWC has Issued a statement regarding the introduction of The Energy Savings and Building Efficiency Act (H.R. 3586). The bill is a step toward removing prescriptive requirements in the code that mandate the use of particular products. AWC thanked Representative Schrader and the co-sponsors for their work to ensure product and technology neutrality.
Original Press Release:
Energy Code Provisions in H.R. 3586 Enhance Product Neutrality
WASHINGTON – American Wood Council (AWC) Vice President, Government Affairs Andrew Dodson issued the following statement regarding the introduction of The Energy Savings and Building Efficiency Act (H.R. 3586). The bill encourages product neutrality in building energy codes and defines the role of the Department of Energy (DOE) as a technical advisor in the development of model energy codes and subsequent state adoption. It is co-sponsored by Reps. Kurt Schrader (D-OR), Bill Flores (R-TX), Tom O’Halleran (D-AZ), Lou Correa (D-CA) and Collin Peterson (D-MN).
“The wood products industry supports economically and technically feasible building energy regulations, and this bill is a step toward removing prescriptive requirements in the code that mandate the use of particular products. Product neutrality in the building energy codes allow all building materials have equal opportunity to contribute to meeting building energy efficiency standards.
“Wood is inherently capable of providing good thermal performance, helping to meet even the strictest energy requirements, while at the same time sequestering carbon from the air. AWC thanks Representative Schrader and the co-sponsors for their work to ensure product and technology neutrality in the energy code development and adoption process.”
The American Wood Council (AWC) is the voice of North American wood products manufacturing, an industry that provides almost 450,000 men and women in the United States with family-wage jobs. AWC represents 86 percent of the structural wood products industry, and members make products that are essential to everyday life from a renewable resource that absorbs and sequesters carbon. Staff experts develop state-of-the-art engineering data, technology, and standards for wood products to assure their safe and efficient design, as well as provide information on wood design, green building, and environmental regulations. AWC also advocates for balanced government policies that affect wood products.
