Webinar – Zero Fuel Bias Energy Codes

Zero Fuel Bias Energy Codes

A Safe, Effective Path to Promote Electric Heat Pumps in New Buildings 

A growing number of cities and states are eager to make meaningful progress on decarbonizing buildings to achieve climate targets, enhance quality of life for all residents and businesses, and improve energy efficiency. New construction poses an irreplaceable opportunity to build smart from the start: it is the most cost-effective time to improve efficiency and helps prepare the workforce to decarbonize existing homes and businesses. To do this, leaders need policies that make zero-emission new construction the norm while avoiding legal pitfalls, especially regarding the federal Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA).

In 2023, a surprising federal circuit court decision introduced a new interpretation of EPCA and halted one of the most ambitious city climate policies in the country, Berkeley’s all-electric new construction ordinance. As a result, in Berkeley and throughout all eight states in the Ninth Circuit, governments are now limited in how they can require all-electric new construction. While many tools to advance building decarbonization remain for Ninth Circuit jurisdictions, and the decision does not limit city or state action in other circuits, the risk of similar legal challenges has caused concern in some jurisdictions.

To help cities and states successfully advance zero-emissions new construction for commercial and residential properties with confidence, RMI and the Public Health Law Center have collaborated to release the Energy Code Safe Harbor Toolkit.

What is the Toolkit? The Toolkit comes in two parts:

• Zero Fuel Bias Code Overlays for commercial and residential new construction codes: Adoptable code language designed to add fair, objective, low- and zero-emissions compliance options to the 2024 International Energy Conservation Code and ASHRAE 90.1-2022.
• An issue report that describes how energy codes work, why EPCA matters, how today’s model codes fall short of what’s possible, and how the Code Overlays take steps toward a climate-friendly code.

Watch the Zero Fuel Bias Energy Codes webinar to learn more, including:

• What the Berkeley lawsuit means — and doesn’t mean — for building decarbonization in communities across the United States.
• How the Zero Fuel Bias Code Overlays reduce greenhouse gas emissions effectively under federal law.
• Why your jurisdiction should consider adopting Zero Fuel Bias codes now.
• Support available from RMI and the US Department of Energy for code adoption.