PNNL

Abstract

Long term benefits of energy codes provide valuable information for setting policies, for state adoption, and in evaluating the cost-benefits of energy codes. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) evaluated the long-term impacts associated with energy codes in residential and commercial buildings from 2010 through 2040. The analysis developed and implemented a new methodology that relied on available data and market trends. The study was heavily vetted with key stakeholders including, DOE, Regional Energy Efficiency Organization network (REEOs), ACEEE and others. Several complex streams of information were combined in the analysis, including results from hundreds of simulation models, codes field study data from DOE, floor space data from EIA's Annual Energy Outlook, and data on projected technology improvements from DOE’s Technology Roadmaps. This paper describes the methodology used for the assessment and presents the energy and economic impacts in terms of site energy savings, consumer energy cost savings, and reduced CO2 emissions at the state level and at aggregated national level. The assessment concluded that model energy codes will save $126 billion for consumers on their utility bills, reduce carbon emissions by 841 metric-million tons, and save 12.82 quads of primary energy on a cumulative basis from 2010 through 2040. The results are being used by DOE to underline their role in improving building energy efficiency, by REEOs and states for promoting state code adoption, and by ACEEE and others to perform their own analyses related to energy codes.