About the NH Energy Code Challenge

The NH Building Code Challenge is a campaign to make New Hamphire one of the most energy efficient places in the country. In 2009, Governor John Lynch made the assurance that NH would achieve 90% compliance with the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) by the year 2017. 90% compliance is quite the challenge – however, GDS Associates is working closely with the New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning to achieve this ambitious goal.

Thus, GDS and the OEP are working together to help create a plan to significantly improve compliance and enforcement of building energy codes across the state. As part of this process, GDS is working to develop a baseline of compliance analysis which will help to give us a better “snapshot” level of understanding as to where compliance now stands with the energy code. In addition, for the next two-and-a-half years, GDS will reach out to train building professionals, the general public, and many others connected to the building profession. Perhaps most importantly, throughout this process, GDS will be developing a “Road Map” of sorts which will help to put NH on a path to reach 90% compliance with the IECC by 2017.

Project Goals & Objectives

As detailed in the OEP’s Request For Proposals for this work, “[t]his program will create a roadmap to achieve at least 90% compliance with the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) by 2017. This program will include: determination of approximate current baseline compliance in the state; development or expansion, promotion, and running of training programs throughout the state and to various constituencies; developing policy options to remove barriers and improve adoption of energy conservation and efficiency in buildings; working with various collaborating agencies and stakeholders to begin adoption and implementation of such policies; and overseeing, collecting data, and reporting to OEP. This program is for education, outreach, data collection, collaboration, policy development, and reporting, but does not include any actual code enforcement.” To implement this program the following nine (9) key tasks are being conducted:

1. Establish a baseline of compliance under the 2009 IECC, identifying roadblocks and solutions to improve compliance
2. Create a roadmap to achieve 90% compliance of the 2009 IECC by 2017
3. Promote this program throughout the State to building and code professionals
4. Train and mobilize building professionals for energy code compliance and to promote above-code performance
5. Develop a public awareness campaign for homeowners, landlords, commercial property owners, real estate appraisers, and realtors to understand the value of the energy code, including above-code performance
6. Update and gather building code resources in one publicly accessible site
7. Develop recommended enforcement and compliance policy options for the 2009 IECC
8. Establish a review process to monitor and track compliance under the 2009 IECC
9. Submit monthly reports to OEP to submit to the NH Office of Economic Stimulus, DOE, and the US Office of Management and Budget on data for number of jobs created/retained, trainings held, and people reached, and funding leveraged.

For a copy of the Energy Code Compliance Request for Proposals (RFP) from the NH Office of Energy & Planning, Click Here.