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The History of Energy Codes in the United States

National model energy codes for buildings first appeared in the 1970s, largely due to the energy and economic crises dur-
ing that decade. Historically high oil prices and the economic shocks that accompanied them prompted Congress to pass
the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) in 1975, which mandated vehicle fuel economy standards, regulated petro-
leum pricing and directed the creation of strategic petroleum reserves. A 1978 amendment also required states receiving
federal financial assistance to initiate mandatory programs and measures, including energy conservation standards for
new buildings.

In 1975, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) developed the first na-
tional energy code, 90-75 “Energy Conservation in New Building Design,” for residential and commercial buildings. The
next national code to appear was the MCEC 77, a joint effort of multiple organizations under the auspices of the Council
of American Building Officials (CABO). MCEC 77 was the precursor to the Model Energy Code (MEC) 1983 Edition. The
CABO released subsequent editions every few years until 1998, when the International Code Council (ICC) International
Energy Conservation Code (IECC) 1998 became the new residential model code. In 1989, ASHRAE released Standard 90.1-
1989, a complete revision if its previous code, now for commercial buildings only.

The next significant impact on energy codes was the Energy Pol-
icy Act (EPAct) of 1992. Amending the EPCA, EPAct required the
Department of Energy (DOE) to determine whether the most cur-
rent model energy codes would improve energy efficiency for
residential and commercial buildings. It also mandated that the
DOE make a new determination within twelve months for every
subsequent revision of these codes. Each state would then have
two years to certify that it had revised its own energy code to
meet or exceed the requirements of the latest iteration of the
national models. A state could decline to adopt a residential en-
ergy code by submitting a statement to the Secretary of the DOE
detailing its reasons for doing so. Courtesy of DOE-NREL, Credit—Robb Williamson

At the end of 2008, the DOE published its determination for the ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2004 for commercial buildings,
ruling that energy savings above the previous Standard 90.1-1999 would be 13.9 percent for national source energy and
11.9 percent for building energy consumption. DOE is currently reviewing Standard 90.1-2007, the most recent national
model energy code for commercial buildings, and expects to release a determine by early 2010. For ASHRAE Standard
90.1 2010, ASHRAE has set a 30% improvement in energy savings over the 2004 version as a benchmark. For residential
and small commercial, the last DOE determination was for the 2000 IECC. At present, DOE is reviewing the 2003 and 2006
versions. In February of 2009, the ICC released its latest version, which had an estimated 15% increase in energy effi-
ciency over the 2006 version.

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