Last month we talked about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and House Bill 2783, which attempted to adopt the new 2009 Energy Codes into state law.  Neither House Bill 2783 nor Senate Bill 16, which contained similar provisions for adoption of 2009 Energy Codes, made it through the Texas legislature.  However, the State Energy Conservation Office (SECO) and the Texas A&M Energy Systems Lab (ESL) continue to evaluate the new codes and the associated public comments.  We have it on good information that there is hope some form of the new codes might still become adopted statewide some time in 2010.

So what will this mean, if and when the new codes are adopted?  Here is a short synopsis of some of the major changes between the 2006 and 2009 International Energy Conservation Code for the Texas Gulf Coast region (Zone 2):

Residential

• The fenestration (window) U-factor has been reduced from 0.75 to 0.65, and the Solar Heat Gain Coefficient has been reduced from 0.40 to 0.30, meaning you will need even lower low-E windows.

• Insulation values remain R-13 for walls, R-30 for ceilings.

• Air tightness must be demonstrated through a blower door test or 3rd party inspection.

• Heating and cooling ducts in unconditioned spaces, like a typical unconditioned attic, must be physically tested for air leaks.

• A minimum of 50% of the lamps (bulbs) installed in the home shall be high-efficacy lamps, meaning compact fluorescents or T-8's.

Commercial

• Insulation requirements have increased for built-up roofs from R-15 continuous to R-20 continuous, for metal building roofs from one layer of R-19 to two layers of R-13, and for attics from R-30 to R-38.

• Group R buildings (hotels, apartments, etc.) have separate, increased insulation requirements.

• Fenestration (window) U-factors and SHGC requirements remain the same, except for skylights.

• For air conditioners, the requirement for a typical 5-ton air cooled unit goes from 10 SEER to 13 SEER, and a 10-ton unit goes from 10.1 EER to 11.2 EER.

• Demand-controlled ventilation is required for spaces larger than 500 square feet and with an average occupant load of 40 people per 1000 square feet of floor area.