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2021 IECC Residential Cost Effectiveness Analysis

The 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) includes several changes which impact both energy savings and construction costs for residential construction. The objective of this analysis is to quantify the incremental construction cost and energy use cost savings associated with constructing a house compliant with the 2021 IECC relative to a 2018 IECC baseline and to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the code changes.

Estimated Costs of the 2018 ICC Codes Changes for Multifamily Buildings

File Under: Building Codes & Standards

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) provided a list of 26 code changes affecting multifamily construction which were approved for incorporation into the 2018 International Codes. The changes affect the International Building Code (IBC), International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), International Fire Code (IFC), and International Mechanical Code (IMC). This report analyzes the expected cost impact of these code changes on construction practices and materials for multifamily buildings.

Equivalency Between IECC Prescriptive Path and IECC Energy Rating Index

File Under: Building Codes & Standards

This study reports HERS indices for defined configurations of typical houses (Standard Rated Homes) compliant with the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) minimum requirements. For all building characteristics not defined in the IECC, the “Methodology for Calculating Energy Use in Residential Buildings” (2012 Methodology) is followed. This Methodology was developed in 2012 by Home Innovation Research Labs (formerly NAHB Research Center) to provide guidance, uniformity, and practical construction and equipment choices for researchers comparing the energy performance difference resulting from code changes.

Estimated Costs of the 2012 IRC Code Changes

File Under: Building Codes & Standards

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) provided a list of code changes approved for the 2012 International Residential Code (2012 IRC). Home Innovation Research Labs (Home Innovation) estimated the expected cost impact of these code changes on construction practices and materials for a number of reference houses sited in various cities nationwide. Cost estimates are aggregated in ranges of high to low based on various methods or components that might be used to comply with the code.

Estimated Costs of the 2009 IRC Code Changes

File Under: Building Codes & Standards

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) provided a list of code changes approved for the 2009 International Residential Code (2009 IRC). Home Innovation Research Labs (Home Innovation) estimated the expected cost impact of these code changes on construction practices and materials for a number of reference houses sited in various cities nationwide. Cost estimates are aggregated in ranges of high to low based on various methods or components that might be used to comply with the code.

Estimated Costs of the 2015 IRC Code Changes

File Under: Building Codes & Standards

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) provided a list of 47 code changes to the 2012 International Residential Code (2012 IRC), which were approved for incorporation into the 2015 IRC. NAHB then asked Home Innovation Research Labs to conduct an analysis to estimate the expected cost impact of these code changes on construction practices and materials. A number of the selected code changes were found to be inconsequential (e.g., no cost increase or savings) and are therefore not reflected in this report. Reported as cost variance to the builder, the results are aggregated in cost estimate ranges to estimate a cumulative cost impact on an average house in selected climate zones.

Army Family Housing Planning

File Under: Building Codes & Standards

Military installations should provide sustainable, efficient, harmonious, secure, and visually compatible physical environments conducive to attracting and retaining skilled and motivated personnel. The impression an installation makes on the Soldiers, Civilians and Families who live and work there has an impact on quality of life as well as mission readiness. Housing is a critical component of installations. This project offers guidance to anyone involved in the Army’s Family Housing inspections or the installation Master Planning processes.

Percent Energy Savings: 2009 IECC Analysis

File Under: Air Sealing & Building Envelope, Building Codes & Standards, Energy Efficiency & High-Performance Building, Moisture Management, Ventilation & Indoor Air Quality

A strong push was made by many advocacy groups, including the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE), to increase the stringency of the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). This effort resulted in a number of major changes which impact both energy savings and construction costs for residential construction. As part of the federal effort to encourage state and local adoption of the more stringent code, provisions were also included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to persuade states to adopt the 2009 IECC.

Wind Load Design Considerations for Out-of-Plane Loading

File Under: Building Codes & Standards, Structural Performance

The residential building code provisions continue to evolve with new design and construction requirements introduced every code update cycle. These new requirements are typically the result of one of the following:

A product innovation that leads to a new method of construction that has not been previously included in the prescriptive building code requirements
A system innovation that leads to the use of existing materials in new applications or new configurations
A re-evaluation of conventional practices based on engineering or changed performance expectations

Evaluation of Wood Sole Plate Anchorage to Concrete Under Monotonic and Cyclic Loading

File Under: Building Codes & Standards, Structural Performance

The purpose of this testing program is to evaluate the performance of cast-in-place foundation anchor bolt connections representative of those used in wood-frame residential construction. This testing program responds to the recent changes in the American Concrete Institute’s Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete (ACI 318) that significantly reduce the design capacity of near-edge concrete anchors. This reduction has brought into question the conventional practice of using 2x4 sole plates with 1/2-inch bolts spaced at 4 feet or 6 feet on center. However, the new provisions of ACI 318 are based on research of anchorage systems for commercial and industrial construction and use conservative extrapolation of this research to the design of residential systems. Because significant differences exist in construction practices between residential and commercial applications including bolt diameters, edge distances, embedment lengths, bearing capacity of the anchored material, concrete strength, line of bolts spaced apart vs. bolt clusters, etc., it is envisioned that results of this study will help improve accuracy of design methods for residential anchors by capturing representative failure modes, response variability, and applicable safety margins.