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KUFM Commentary - November 2009 --------------------------------------------------------- Strengthen Montana's Building Codes for Commonsense Conservation
Montanan's building codes define the minimum expected energy efficiency in a new home by setting the insulation levels, deciding how much air can leak in and out, and how good the windows should be. Ultimately, these codes establish the carbon footprint and operating cost of a new building. With the expected life of a new building at about 70 years, it is important to make our new homes as efficient as possible. I've been in the construction and energy conservation business for over 30 years. From my experience I know that new buildings can and should be better built than the State's building codes currently require. In the mid 1970s, I started a design and construction business in the Gallatin Valley. We built solar greenhouses and worked to make the finest, most efficient homes possible. One of the first houses I built was for Ritt and Roxanne Hoblitt of Bozeman. The house featured a large attached greenhouse and plenty of thermal mass to store all of that free solar energy, and the home was well sealed and insulated besides. The Hoblitts heated their whole house for half a cord of wood each winter and they still live in the house 35 years later. Just think of all the wood splitting they've saved themselves! These common sense design principles weren't standard construction protocol in the ‘70s and still aren't today, but there's a chance this month to change that. Last November the Montana Department of Labor and Industry initiated the process of adopting a new set of energy codes for buildings, This is a process that occurs every three years. At a public hearing I attended about the draft proposal, I was shocked to find how little had changed since the 1980s. Wall insulation was still the same. Window specifications were virtually the same. And Montana was the only state that allowed basements in new houses to remain un-insulated until finished and occupied. Surely we could adopt codes that more adequately respond to the energy, climate and financial challenges of our time. I know from my experience as a homebuilder and recent education in architecture that easy, cost-effective changes to buildings are possible and actually make the home more comfortable and cheaper to live in. Eager to set the state on a different track I began compiling a list of possible energy code amendments that ranged from increasing wall insulation to requiring passive solar orientation and design. In consultation with other contractors, building material suppliers, and energy conservation experts I identified 6 measures. Industry-standard computer simulations showed that the measures would drastically improve home energy efficiency, and result in quick economic payback and long term financial savings. All in all, these are cautious proposals, easy on builders, effective in saving energy, and great investments in this economic climate. These changes to the code would result, on average, in a 15% return on investment with positive cash flow from the first year. The suggested improvements include better insulated walls and cathedral ceilings, insulated basement walls, a smarter window standard, tighter air leakage control and mechanical ventilation. In an initial hearing the Department of Labor and Industry wasn't swayed far from its status quo draft plan. Other than removing the Montana basement insulation exemption, the Department has chosen an unduly conservative set of codes. My analysis of their proposal is that new houses would use about 2% less energy than the standard international code. My proposal, on the other hand, would save between 10 -12% of the energy used in new residences. The final hearing before the Department of Labor and Industry is on November 30th in Helena. This is our last chance to “bring up the bottom,” to help homeowners with their energy costs and finances, and to respond appropriately to two of the greatest challenges of our time: climate change and dwindling fossil fuel supplies. The proposal I prepared has been endorsed by, among others, rural electric co-ops, labor unions and home builders. This is an opportunity for Governor Schweitzer to lead Montana and the nation with a strong commitment to common-sense conservation. Please join me in asking the Governor and Department of Labor to go beyond the status quo and adopt stronger building codes. I'm Jim Baerg, with Montana Energy+Design, for the Alternative Energy Resources Organization. AERO is a grassroots membership organization that's been building communities by linking people with sustainable agriculture and energy solutions for 35 years. If you'd like to get involved with agriculture and energy policy this legislative session, give us a call in Helena at (406) 443-7272.
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Right now we have the opportunity before us to bolster our nation's energy security, lower emissions of greenhouse gas pollution, to cut back our consumption of finite fossil fuels and increase the value of Montana's housing stock. These lofty goals can be achieved, in part, by raising the bar on the energy efficiency of new homes. Governor Schweitzer has shown great leadership in improving the energy efficiency of government buildings and operations, and I urge him to extend the benefits of energy conservation to all Montanans by supporting stronger building codes for the whole state.