Publications

A research project in the state of Montana identified opportunities to reduce homeowner utility bills in residential single-family new construction by increasing compliance with the state energy code. The study was initiated in May 2018; data collection began in June 2018 and continued through September 2018. During this period, the project team visited 125 homes at various stages of construction, resulting in a data set based on observations made directly in the field.

The Nebraska Energy Office (NEO) commissioned Britt/Makela Group, Inc. (BMG) to assess compliance with the commercial provisions of the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). The goals of the project were to: 

• Assess compliance rates for projects that represented typical commercial construction in Nebraska 
• Collect information on energy code compliance issues that could be used to establish a framework for future energy code implementation programs in the state.

This report presents the results of a Study on the rate of compliance with the New York State (NYS) energy code. The Study tested the protocols developed by the US Department of Energy to determine if NYS’s new and renovated residential and commercial buildings exceed the 90% compliance threshold that states will be will be required to meet by 2017 as part of ARRA legislation. This Study performed detailed plan review and field inspections on 44 newly constructed residential and 26 new commercial buildings. The Study also included interviews with policy makers, contractors, engineers, architects, and code officials; and surveys of architects, homeowners, builders, and code officials who planned, constructed and inspected renovations.

A research project in the State of North Carolina identified opportunities to reduce homeowner utility bills in residential single-family new construction by increasing compliance with the state energy code. The study was initiated in January 2015 and continued through September 2015. During this period, research teams visited 249 homes during various stages of construction, resulting in a substantial data set based on observations made directly in the field.

The purpose of this report is to document findings and final results from the North Carolina field study, including a summary of key trends observed in the field, their impact on energy efficiency, and whether the selected education and training activities resulted in a measurable change in statewide energy use.

A research project in the state of Oregon identified opportunities to reduce homeowner utility bills in residential single-family new construction by increasing compliance with the state energy code. The study was initiated in November 2019; data collection began in November 2019 and continued through February 2020. Analysis of the data has led to a better understanding of the energy features present in homes and identified over $600,000 in potential annual savings to Oregon homeowners that could result from increased compliance with the 2017 Oregon Residential Specialty Code (2017 ORSC).

A research project in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania identified opportunities to reduce homeowner utility bills in residential single-family new construction by increasing compliance with the state energy code. The study was initiated in October 2014 and continued through July 2015. During this period, research teams visited 171 homes during various stages of construction, resulting in a substantial data set based on observations made directly in the field.

The purpose of this report is to document findings and final results from the Pennsylvania field study, including a summary of key trends observed in the field, their impact on energy efficiency, and whether the selected education and training activities resulted in a measurable change in statewide energy use.

The data (in this file or on this page) represents the data collected as DOE’s Residential Field Study[1] as of June 2016.  Data is provided Microsoft Excel for 8 states – AL, KY, MD, NC, PA, TX, AR and GA.  Additional states using DOE’s field study methodology, may be added in the future as data collection and analysis is completed.  

This data file was reformatted and revised May 28, 2019, and again July 17, 2019.

The Energy Modeler is a professional responsible for performing energy modeling and facilitating completion of the DOE/PNNL ASHRAE Standard 90.1 Performance Based Compliance Form on projects following ASHRAE Standard 90.1 Section 11 and Appendix G. This document outlines the Energy Modeler responsibilities.

The Submittal Reviewer is a professional responsible for reviewing the compliance documentation on behalf of the authority having jurisdiction or rating authority for projects following ASHRAE Standard 90.1 Section 11 and Appendix G. This document outlines the Submittal Reviewer responsibilities.

This report explains the methodology used to develop version 4.6.5 of the REScheck software in order to support compliance determination for IECC editions 2009, 2012, 2015, and 2018.

This document presents a methodology for assessing baseline energy efficiency in new single-family residential buildings and quantifying related savings potential.

Final report of the U.S. DOE Multifamily Residential Energy Efficiency Field Study to validate the impact of building energy codes in low-rise multifamily buildings and identify opportunities for increased energy that can be addressed through workforce education & training programs. Results include both characteristics summaries (by state) and an analysis of the opportunities associated with increased code compliance on building energy use in the different climate zones. As well, the process of collecting and processing building data so that these estimates can be prepared is described in detail, with the intent that others could employ this process in future studies. This report also includes a market research component that describes interviews with key actors in the multifamily sector (building designers, developers, and builders) that focuses on various aspects of the code, including specific code details relevant to code education and training, and overall energy performance.

The objective of this report is to assess the compliance of newly-constructed single-family homes with the Vermont Residential Building Energy Standards (RBES). This analysis is part of a broader study of the single-family residential new construction market in Vermont.

In early 2017, the Nebraska Energy Office expressed interest in evaluating the construction of new single-family homes in Nebraska using the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) low-rise residential evaluation methodology.1 As part of that methodology, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) was directed by DOE to analyze the data collected in Nebraska. This memorandum provides and discusses the results of PNNL’s analysis.

Beginning in 2014, the U.S. Department Energy (DOE) funded a series of multi-year residential energy code field studies to explore energy savings opportunities from enhanced code compliance. This report presents the final results across the three phases to assess whether the education and training activities successfully improved code compliance to achieve significant changes in energy use.

Residential Energy Code Field Study Contact List; 011516.