U.S. Homeowners One Step Closer to Saving Energy Dollars and Combating Climate Change

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RISMEDIA, July 1, 2008-The Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (MEEA) announced that it strongly supports this week’s resolution by the U.S. Conference of Mayors to support “The 30% Solution,” a comprehensive package of achievable and affordable residential energy-efficiency measures proposed for inclusion in the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC).

Midwest mayors accounted for a third of the committee that helped make this outcome possible, demonstrating their commitment to energy efficiency, economic growth and the public good. They include: Michael Belsky (Highland Park, IL); David Berger (Lima, OH); Roy Buol (Dubuque, IA); Elizabeth Kautz
(Burnsville, MN); Brenda Lawrence (Southfield, MI); Gene Marks (Northbrook, IL); Larry Nelson (Waukesha, WI); Thomas O’Grady (North Olmsted, OH); David Pope (Oak Park, IL); and Laurel Prussing (Urbana, IL).

As America’s model energy code, the IECC-developed and published by the International Code Council (ICC)-is the code of choice for most U.S. cities, counties and states that adopt energy-efficiency standards for building construction, and the model energy code recognized by federal law.

The proposed IECC enhancements will set more aggressive energy-efficiency standards in every part of the house, including heating and cooling, thermal envelope, air sealing, hot water heating and lighting. The IECC is updated every three years. This latest set of changes was spearheaded by the Energy Efficient Codes Coalition (EECC), a broad-based alliance of energy-efficiency advocates of which MEEA is a member.

“The support of the U.S. Conference of Mayors will go a long way toward getting the votes needed to pass The 30% Solution at the International Code Council’s annual meeting in Minneapolis this September,” notes Wendy Jaehn, executive director, MEEA. “As EECC coordinator, William Fay, has pointed out, homes use 20 percent of our nation’s energy and account for roughly one-fifth of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. That’s why it is so important for the mayors to send their maximum allowable delegates to the ICC conference to vote for the measures.”

The success or failure of this initiative depends upon the eligible voters who are actually present in the room when the vote takes place, sometime between September 17 and 23, 2008. Depending on the population they represent, each city, state, county, or other governmental member of the ICC can send four, eight, or 12 voting delegates.

Calls for a stronger energy code have come from a growing number of highly respected organizations, including members of Congress and the EPA/DOE National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency, ASHRAE, Western Governors’ Association, U.S. Department of Energy, Architecture 2030, National Petroleum Council, American Institute of Architects, and Mayors for Climate Protection.

For more information, visit http://www.mwalliance.org.

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