Groups push to make homes more energy efficient

SALT LAKE CITY — A committee of lawmakers is poised to hear a recommendation from the Uniform Building Code Commission for Utah to adopt the latest updates to energy conservation codes for new homes and major home remodels.

The proposal, which is attracting opposition by some builders, is under review for the first time by Utah lawmakers on Wednesday, when members of the Business and Labor Interim Committee are scheduled to meet at 2 p.m. in the Senate Building of the state Capitol.

Adopted unanimously last month by the building code commission, the revisions would bring Utah's residential remodels and new home construction in line with the most current energy-saving standards.

Those standards, established in 2009 by the International Energy Conservation Code, already apply to commercial buildings in the state, but would also apply to residential buildings — homes, condos and apartments three stories high or less — if legislators decide to make the code law. Residential buildings in Utah are currently subject to the 2006 standards.

Proponents say requiring homes to be built adhering to the 2009 revisions, making them more energy efficient, would save those residents about $175 a year.

Utah Clean Energy, an advocacy group that has thrown its support behind the proposal, says that after mortgage and insurance, energy costs are the single biggest expense associated with home ownership.

According to the group, electricity prices in Utah have increased 4 to 5 percent each year for the past 10 years.

Key differences between existing code and the revisions include:

50 percent of lighting must be high-efficiency

Increased wall and water pipe insulation

Improved duct sealing (leaky ducts use more energy to heat and cool the home)

Improved building envelope (reduced energy loss through building walls)

Third party testing and verification that home meets specific code requirements.

e-mail: amyjoi@desnews.com