- June 19, 2017
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- In Miscellaneous
- By Andrea Foss
On Tuesday, June 6, 2017, leaders of Pennsylvania’s clean energy movement took to the steps of the State Capitol Building. The cause? To demonstrate just how much room PA State Energy Codes have to improve. Amidst a cohort of speakers and presenters, USGBC’s Central Pennsylvania chapter erected two sheds, each filled with 1,080 pounds of ice: one built to 2009 Code requirements, currently in place under PA state law; and the other built to Passive House standards. Over the course of the month of June, the public will be able to watch as the respective blocks of ice melt within their structures. Ultimately, the difference in the rate of ice melt between the Code House and the Performance House (Passive House) will illustrate the degree to which current energy laws and codes are lacking, while simultaneously offering a model for advancement.
In 2009, the International Energy Code Council (IECC) developed energy-saving standards that were adopted by most U.S. state governments. While the 2009 Code was widely instituted in the period following its publication, several states have since embraced even more efficient requirements that are quickly replacing outdated terms. For instance, the state of Maryland – comparable to Pennsylvania in terms of climate, population, and demographic spectrum – is operating under requirements equivalent to 2015 IECC standards. New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Vermont are other states in the same geographic region and general climate zone that have opted towards more energy efficient codes.[1]
Passive House, on the other hand, is a set of design principles that aim to attain a “quantifiable and rigorous level of energy efficiency within a specific quantifiable comfort level.[2]” More simply, Passive House projects go above and beyond the statutes of any enforced codes to follow a “maximize your gains, minimize your losses” approach to building design. The Passive House Institute of the United States (PHIUS) provides the following summary of Passive House principles: (more…)