Climate Activists are trying to enact the Paris Climate Accord in the US by hijacking the 2021 building codes
Updates could push up climate activists’ goal of requiring all new homes to consume no energy from 2030 to now
Activists openly admit that building codes help them push their agenda onto unsuspecting local governments
Oct. 31, 2019
By Bill Osmulski
Climate activist groups are trying to backdoor the Paris Climate Accord into local regulations across the country through the 2021 Residential Energy Code.
The International Code Council (ICC) is currently in the process of developing the 2021 building codes. When complete, state and local governments across the country will adopt the “model” codes, giving them the force of law.
The codes are updated every three years, and anyone can recommend changes to them. Several climate activist groups did not miss that opportunity. The ICC just completed public hearings on the changes in Las Vegas, where a hundred changes were considered to the Residential Energy Code. 38 of those changes would result in higher construction costs for new homes.
According to the ICC’s Energy Code Committee, “The energy code is also an element in long term welfare through the reduction of green house gas emissions and the impacts on climate change.”
Some of the groups responsible for pushing the changes include: the New Buildings Institute, Natural Resources Defense Council,Energy-Efficient Code Coalition, Alliance to Save Energy, and American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.
They want to require all new homes built after 2030 to use zero energy. They measure energy efficiency using the Energy Rating Index (ERI), which is the same thing as the Home Energy Rating System (HERS).
An average home built in 2006 marks “100” on the scale. Right now, the average home built in the country is about 62, and the average home in Wisconsin is 52. Wisconsin is one of the only states that includes the HERS scores in real estate MLS listings.
Although they want all new home construction to be at “zero” by 2030, they want the building codes to start implementing it now.
Their proposal explained, “States and cities across the country are pursuing policies to reduce the energy consumption of buildings. More than 270 cities and counties and 10 states are signatories to the ‘We Are Still In’ commitment supporting climate action to meet the goals of the Paris climate accord. Thus far, seventy cities have committed to being powered by 100% renewable energy and more are joining all the time. The building energy code is an important policy tool for jurisdictions as they pursue these types of policy goals.”
Only government officials who belong to the ICC get to actually vote on the proposals. Many of those delegates come from parts of the country that are onboard with the climate change activist agenda. They gave preliminary approval to the proposal that would begin implementing the 2030 goals now.
Wisconsin is currently using the 2015 codes. It did not adopt the 2018 versions.