Publications

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 most recent edition, the 2018 IECC, was published in August 2017, triggering the DOE review and determination process. In response, DOE and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) conducted a preliminary analysis to determine energy savings for the 2018 IECC residential provisions relative to the previous edition--the 2015 IECC. This report documents the methodology used to conduct the analysis and summarizes the results and findings.

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.

To meet the statutory requirement, DOE conducted an analysis to quantify the expected energy savings associated with Standard 90.1-2019. This report documents the methodology used to conduct the analysis. Based on the analysis, DOE has preliminarily determined that the 2019 edition of the ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1 would improve overall energy efficiency in buildings subject to the code (compared to the 2016 edition of Standard 90.1).

Qualitative analysis performed in support of the Standard 90.1-1999 Determination.

This project was initiated because of the state of Florida desire to review provisions of its proposed 7th Edition (2020) Florida Energy Code (FEC) for commercial buildings in order to make a determination if it meets or performs better than ASHRAE 90.1-2016 code. For this purpose the proposed code modifications were reviewed and quantitatively analyzed.

This report considers the role of commercial building energy codes in enabling grid-interactive efficient buildings (GEBs). Specifically, it highlights the status of demand flexibility (DF) measures in ASHRAE Standard 90.1. It examines the model code-development process and identifies components preventing the consideration and inclusion of DF measures, including code scope, characterization and analysis of proposed new prescriptive measures, and the time-of-day and geographic differences in their benefits.

Presentation Slides from the April 27, 2022 Resilient and Efficient Codes Implementation (RECI) RFI Public Workshop.

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.