Building commission proposes heightened energy efficiency standards

SALT LAKE CITY — New homes built in Utah could incorporate energy standards designed to save a typical family up to $175 a year on utility costs.

A unanimous vote Wednesday by members of the state Uniform Building Commission also would apply to remodels, adopting new specifications that would require 50 percent of the lighting to be "high efficiency," increased wall and water pipe insulation and improvements in duct sealing.

Third-party testing and verification of the standards would be required.

The commission is expected to make a recommendation to the Utah Legislature to sign off on the updates to the energy standards incorporated in new homes, which already apply to commercial construction.

Those recommendations could be made as early as Sept. 15.

Brent Ursenbach, a building code inspector with Salt Lake County who supports the revisions, said the commission's vote is a crucial step for Utahns trying to keep down the cost of living. Too often, he said, he sees firsthand that leaky windows, poor insulation and bare pipes bleed not only energy, but also homeowners' wallets.

"Energy costs are the single biggest expense of owning a home after mortgage and insurance, so it just makes sense that you'd want your home to be as energy efficient as possible" Ursenbach said.

"With the code as it stands, families are spending more on energy than they need to be, losing hundreds of dollars every year because their homes aren't as efficient as they could be. The new code will fix that for new homes."

The code models standards set forth by the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) and would update four-year-old regulations.

It was supported by Utah Clean Energy, a nonprofit, public-interest organization that served on a committee created by the commission to study the economics of the proposal.

According to Utah Clean Energy, meeting the new standards wouldn't be difficult. An estimated 37 percent of all new homes in Utah already exceed existing code by 15 percent, due only to consumer demand for efficient homes.

Kevin Emerson, a senior policy and regulatory associate with the group, said the commission's vote put all homeowners' interests first.

"With more efficient homes, Utahns will save money on their energy bills today, lower their exposure to the ever-rising price of power and enjoy healthier, more comfortable homes," Emerson said. "The vote today was a step in the right direction, but it's up to the Legislature now."

e-mail: amyjoi@desnews.com