[Greenbuilding] proof that stringent energy codes are effective

[Corwyn]

On 9/23/2010 2:11 PM, Alan Abrams wrote:

>   Are Building Codes Effective at Saving Energy? Evidence from Residential
> Billing Data in Florida, NBER Working Paper, July, 2010
>
>
> In response to the 1973 oil embargo, many states began passing building
> energy codes in order to promote energy efficiency. While the vast majority
> of states have energy codes in place, policymakers are now attempting to
> legislate energy codes at the federal level to help address more recent
> concerns about energy efficiency and climate change. Nevertheless,
> surprisingly little is known about whether energy codes are an effective way
> to reduce energy consumption in practice. This paper provides the first
> evaluation of an energy-code change that uses residential billing data on
> both electricity and natural gas, combined with data on observable
> characteristics of each residence. The study takes place in Gainesville,
> Florida, and the empirical strategy is based on comparisons between
> residences constructed just before and just after Florida increased the
> stringency of its energy code in 2002. We find that the increased stringency
> of the energy code is associated with a 4-percent decrease in electricity
> consumption and a 6-percent decrease in natural-gas consumption. The pattern
> of savings is consistent with reduced consumption of electricity for
> air-conditioning and reduced consumption of natural gas for heating. We also
> estimate economic costs and benefits and find that the private payback
> period for the average residence is 6.4 years. The social payback period,
> which accounts for the avoided costs of air-pollution emissions, ranges
> between 3.5 and 5.3 years.

Any information on the embodied energy of the two sets of buildings?

Thank You Kindly,

Corwyn

-- 
Topher Belknap
Green Fret Consulting
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