New IRA Funding for Building Energy Codes and Performance Standards
A new $530 million competitive funding opportunity has been released by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to support adoption of the latest building energy codes, zero energy codes and building performance standards (BPS). The announcement is the second phase in a $1 billion energy codes program created under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
According to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), States and units of local government with the authority to adopt building codes can apply, with award amounts anticipated to vary between $1 million and $20 million. Brief, two-page concept papers are due next month on Feb. 9, after which DOE will encourage a subset of applicants to submit full applications by April 30.
Three overarching topic areas are eligible for grants:
- Adoption and implementation of the latest model energy codes—the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code for residential buildings and ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2019 for commercial buildings—or eligible zero energy codes (for local governments only).
- Adoption and implementation of the latest model energy codes or eligible zero energy codes with amendments if they achieve equivalent or greater energy savings compared to the original code (for states and local governments).
- Adoption and implementation of innovative building energy code approaches, including BPS and stretch codes, if they achieve equivalent or greater energy savings compared to a latest model energy code or zero energy code (for states and local governments).