Date: 2008-09-10
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Raleigh - Gov. Mike Easley today announced North Carolina has won a federal Department of Energy grant to develop and implement an innovative energy-efficient state code for building construction and renovation that will save consumers up to $40 million annually on utility bills. The grant will be used to both develop a new set of requirements for building construction to make homes and offices more energy efficient and provide training and technical assistance to improve the compliance with building codes.
(Media-Newswire.com) - Raleigh - Gov. Mike Easley today announced North Carolina has won a federal Department of Energy grant to develop and implement an innovative energy-efficient state code for building construction and renovation that will save consumers up to $40 million annually on utility bills. The grant will be used to both develop a new set of requirements for building construction to make homes and offices more energy efficient and provide training and technical assistance to improve the compliance with building codes.
“Energy independence for North Carolina and our nation starts with using resources more wisely,” Easley said. “Our increasing population places the state in the top 10 for building starts nationally. Since buildings consume about 40 percent of all energy produced, any effective energy policy must be focused on designing and constructing buildings that are as energy efficient as possible.”
North Carolina is one of six states to win a grant to advance building codes from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. The other states are: California, Florida, Massachusetts, Nebraska and Washington.
The three-year, $499,190 grant will help North Carolina implement a 21st century building code with common-sense requirements that will result in a 30 percent drop in annual energy consumption by setting out rules for use of more energy efficient materials, appliances and electrical equipment. The grant will also enable North Carolina to improve the training of code inspectors, increase compliance with the code among building designers, engineers and contractors, and establish an appropriate level of enforcement.
By adopting and enforcing an updated building code, North Carolina is projected to save more than $40 million annually in residential and commercial energy bills and to cut air polluting emissions from power generating plants by 236,000 tons of carbon dioxide, 481 tons of sulfur dioxide and 253 tons of nitrogen oxide.
The governor’s office joined with the State Energy Office, the N.C. Department of Insurance (which staffs the N.C. Building Code Council), Appalachian State University and Mathis Consulting of Asheville in submitting the grant application to the Department of Energy. Both Appalachian State and Mathis Consulting have years of experience and success in improving energy codes on the state and national level. Appalachian State experts served on the Energy Subcommittee of the N.C. Building Code Council and have already helped achieve important efficiency upgrades to the state’s existing energy code.
Last June the state won a grant from the National Governor’s Association to develop an innovative program to increase energy building code inspections to help cut utility costs. North Carolina was one of 12 states to receive the grants from the association’s Center for Best Practices.
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Office of the Governor
116 W. Jones Street, Suite 202, Raleigh , NC 27603-8001
Phone: (919) 733-5612