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In this Newsletter:
- Remembering Hurricane Harvey and the Importance of Energy Codes
- Upcoming Webinars
- In-Person TECCC Meeting
- SPEER Industry + Policy Workshop
- IREC Partnership
- Where Randy is heading
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- Noteworthy + Previous Webinar Offerings
- Call Energy Code Ambassadors
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Remembering Hurricane Harvey: A Look Back | |
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Hurricane Harvey stands as one of the most devastating natural disasters in U.S. history. This month is the 6th anniversary, and we are taking a moment to reflect on its impact, lessons learned, and the strength of communities that came together in its aftermath. As hurricane season appropriates once again, and judging by the unrelenting heat the south is experiencing it is easy to fear that this year will produce strong storms.
Origins and Impact
Emerging from the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico in late August 2017, Harvey quickly intensified to a Category 4 hurricane. As it made landfall near Rockport, Texas, it unleashed winds exceeding 130 miles per hour, but it was the unprecedented rainfall and subsequent flooding that would define its legacy. Parts of Houston and surrounding areas saw over 50 inches of rain, setting a new record for the continental U.S. The final toll of Hurricane Harvey was staggering with an estimated $125 billion in damages, rivaling Hurricane Katrina.
Resilience and Recovery
Studies show every $1 spent on disaster mitigation saves $4 in community disaster recovery expenses. This is huge! If local governments and cities adopt more current and stronger building codes some of the damage to homes and cities can be averted. Building codes have greatly improved resilience against disasters and set minimum requirements to protect life. In addition, they increase passive survivability, which is a building’s ability to maintain critical life-support conditions in the event of extended loss of power, heating fuel, or water. Hurricane Harvey served as a harsh reminder of the vulnerabilities faced by urban areas in the era of climate change. It highlighted the need for better urban planning, improved infrastructure, and more resilient building codes.
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Part 1: Updated - 2021 IECC Significant changes to the Commercial Code
Now that the 2021 IECC is being widely adopted, throughout Texas, join us for a two part series as we review what changes were made from the 2015 and 2015 IECC. This will be Part 1 of the changes to the Commercial Code for the 2021 IECC.
When: 10:30 AM Tuesday August 22nd (1 hour)
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Part 2: Updated - 2021 IECC Significant changes to the Commercial Code
Now that the 2021 IECC is being widely adopted, throughout Texas, let’s review what changes were made from the 2015 and 2015 IECC. This will be Part 2 of the changes to the Commercial Code for the 2021 IECC.
When: 10:30 AM Thursday August 25th (1 hour)
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For all upcoming webinars, trainings, workshops, and other educational events please visit or bookmark our calendar events page to stay up to date on our offerings! | |
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Come join us for our Q3 TECCC in-person meeting September 14th from 10 AM - noon! This will provide a platform to continue our candid conversations about the current state of Energy Code Compliance across Texas and Oklahoma. We plan to address the hurdles and impediments that have hindered cities from adopting the most recent cycle of the Energy Code.
The Texas Energy Code Compliance Collaborative (TECCC) was established to find ways for the state to access and improve compliance with energy codes, offer support to local jurisdictions, and engage stakeholders in energy code discussions. The stakeholder group was established in 2011 and SPEER has been leading the quarterly meetings since 2014. Come join us for the meeting and stay for our annual Industry + Policy Workshop! Registration is free for SPEER members and TECCC participants can receive 30% off using the code TECCC under the non-member registration. If you plan to attend the TECCC meeting please email Randy at rplumlee@eepartnership.org .
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Mark your calendars for SPEER’s annual Policy + Industry workshop on September 14-15th in Austin. Myself and Jason Vandever of NAIMA, will be facilitating an energy code panel on Friday morning. Register now and join us as we dive into the recent trends we've observed in the adoption of the 2021 IECC across Texas, Oklahoma, and the rest of the US, and open it up to the audience for Q&A and an open dialogue.
As mentioned above, prior to the workshop officially beginning, we'll convene our yearly in-person Texas Energy Code Compliance Collaborative (TECCC) meeting at the hotel on Thursday, Sept. 14th. There are many reasons to join us and we look forward to seeing you there!
Archer Hotel: 3121 Palm Way, Austin, Texas 78758
Book your room through our room block now.
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Interstate Renewable Energy Council Partnership | |
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SPEER's new partnership with the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) will support the South-central region and provide education on efficient heating and cooling systems, efficient building technologies and materials, building operation and various other efficiency measures as part of the Educational Materials for Professional Organizations Working on Efficiency and Renewable Energy Developments (EMPOWERED) funding program.
Resilience planning, building safety and emerging efficient building technologies are important aspects that safety officials, building managers, and building owners need to fully cognize to properly manage and adapt to the rapid growth of clean energy technologies while reducing overall energy use as nationally demand continues to rise with extreme weather. SPEER's new partnership with IREC will help expand our relationships with and provide education to our audience of inspectors, builders, and permitting officials.
CleanEnergyClearinghouse.org offers a wide range of resources for code officials and building safety professionals, including in-depth articles, short courses, and webinars on topics such as rooftop solar PV, energy storage systems, and resilience planning. Stay current with the latest codes and standards for the safe installation and operation of clean energy systems and earn CEUs with free online courses from IREC.
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B.O.A.T Conference: August 17th
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Alamo Area Council of Governments (AACOG): August 24th. Interested in a presentation and round table discussion focused on the 2021 IECC? Join Randy as he presents at the AACGO next week to review these code changes followed by an open discussion and Q&A session. If you are a building official, 3rd party energy inspector, or city official this is for you! Register here.
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InterNachi - New Braunfels: September 8th
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SPEER’s Policy + Industry Workshop: September 14th-15th
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LED Lighting Replacement for Texas Municipal Governments Recreation/Community Centers | |
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The State Energy Conservation Office (SECO) partners with Texas local governments, county governments, public K-12 schools, public institutions of higher education and state agencies, to reduce utility costs and maximize efficiency. In furtherance of these goals, SECO recently posted Request for Applications targeting Municipal Governments.
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Regardless of which side of the fence you fall on, as of August 1st, the U.S. enforced a ban on the sale and manufacture of incandescent light bulbs. While ownership isn’t illegal, stores and companies aren’t allowed to sell or produce them. The move is part of the federal government’s push to promote energy-efficient lighting, urging citizens to opt for LED or CFL bulbs. LED bulbs are 75% more energy-efficient and last 25 times longer than traditional ones. They also save households an average of $100 annually, despite their higher upfront cost compared to incandescent. Over time, the shift is expected to save Americans about $3 billion yearly and significantly reduce CO2 emissions. While the DOE advocates for the benefits, some criticize the move as government overreach. There have also been misinterpretations regarding potential bans on other appliances, like gas stoves, but these claims have been refuted. Manufacturers that break the new regulations could face penalties up to $542 per illegal bulb. While this is might painful for some, it benefits us all. | |
What We're Reading:
The 3 Types of Heating and Cooling Loads - Energy Vanguard
A great article discussing the 3 types of heating and cooling loads in a building represented as design, extreme, and part loads. The “load” demotes a building’s heating and cooling needs, while “capacity” signifies an HVAC equipment’s ability to deliver. The design load is calculated based on a building’s specifications and is the cooling or heating requirement under predefined conditions. Extreme load accounts for the hottest or coldest conditions, but these are infrequent. Part load, the most prevalent, refers to non-extreme conditions under which HVAC systems usually operate. Proper understanding of these loads is crucial in today’s era of energy-efficient homes to ensure comfort and efficiency.
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Missed our Previous SPEER webinar offerings? Get a recap:
Recurring Field Installation Issues with Air Barriers - Everyone knows that air barriers are important, they know what they do, and that they need to be installed correctly. We have heard it for 20 years and no longer need a presentation to remind us of that. With that said, how do make them successful? One of the most common risk management strategies used is a robust quality assurance program in the specifications that requires certified contractors, trained and certified installers, evaluated materials and on-site third-party audits. Tune into this webinar as we discuss the role of quality assurance audits and point out what to look for when doing site observation and quality control. Our presenter Ryan Dalgleish, Chief Operating Officer of Air Barrier Association of AmericaIt, provides real life examples that can help you identify installation issues on your project, what caused them, and what corrective action can be taken.
Field Verifying Energy Code Mandatory Items from the 2015 and 2018 IECC - Multiple things must be verified during an inspection. In the presentation, we take a deep dive & review the 2015 and 2018 IECC mandatory items and discuss how to verify these during the field inspection.
While you're on our YouTube channel subscribe to stay informed on energy optimization, efficient building techniques + energy codes, local govt climate action, and more. We have over 150 previous recorded webinar offerings.
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Become an Energy Code Ambassador | |
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SPEER's Energy Code Ambassadors initiative is a dynamic and dedicated group of passionate individuals that gather monthly to address concerns & challenges related to the adoption of updating energy codes in cities across Texas with the goal to promote and improve energy-efficient practices in our built environment.
Comprised of architects, engineers, energy consultants, environmentalists, 3rd party verifiers, and policymakers, among others, these ambassadors actively engage with local authorities, community leaders, and relevant stakeholders to facilitate the successful adoption and integration of stronger building codes. Interested in becoming an ambassador? Learn more and apply here! Please send your application, along with any questions to SPEER's Energy Code Manager, Randy, at rplumlee@eepartnership.org.
Once approved as an ambassador we will reach out with upcoming monthly calls and onboarding.
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Is there something specific you would like us to dive deeper on? Are there topics that we have not addressed or questions that we can clarify and provide more insight on during a webinar or training? Please provide input on our request form so that we can better tailor building code and efficiency topics for upcoming webinars and training.
SPEER is also seeking esteemed speakers and individuals with a passion for knowledge sharing. If you are or know an an Energy Conservation Code expert or related topic and would like to present on our energy codes webinars please constant us!
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