Publications

This report provides an assessment as to whether new buildings constructed to the commercial energy efficiency provisions of the 2021 IECC would save energy and energy costs as compared to the 2018 IECC. The Commercial Energy Efficiency chapter in the 2021 IECC allows users to either follow the provisions in the IECC or use Standard 90.1-2019 as an alternative compliance path. As such, PNNL also compared the energy performance of the 2021 IECC with the corresponding Standard 90.1-2019 to help states and local jurisdictions make informed decisions regarding model code adoption.

The most recent edition, the 2021 IECC, was published on January 29, 2021, triggering the DOE review and determination process. DOE and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) conducted a technical analysis to determine energy savings for the 2021 IECC residential provisions relative to the previous edition, the 2018 IECC (ICC 2017). This report documents the methodology used to conduct the analysis and summarizes the results.

DOE has conducted an interim and limited update to its 2016 study to evaluate potential building code updates using the 2016 methodology and data. This interim update includes estimated savings resulting from more recent updates to the model energy codes, including the Standard 90.1-2016 and 2019 editions, as well as the 2018 and 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC).

The most recent edition, the 2021 IECC, was published on January 29, 2021, triggering the DOE review and determination process2. DOE and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) conducted a technical analysis to determine energy savings for the 2021 IECC residential provisions relative to the previous edition, the 2018 IECC (ICC 2017). This report documents the methodology used to conduct the analysis and summarizes the results.