Comments on: The Groundbreaking New Georgia State Energy Code

By: Allison Bailes

Allison Bailes — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 18:10:41 +0000

Good question, Evan. If this
Good question, Evan. If this requirement had come in four years ago and you'd asked me that question, I'd have said no. Since then, though, the new construction market is vastly reduced, and a lot more people in the state have the equipment. It still could be a problem in some of the more rural parts of the state, but I think it'll work out OK.

By: Evan Brown

Evan Brown — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 18:04:41 +0000

Are there enough blower doors
Are there enough blower doors and duct blasters to go around? Does every DET need to buy them?

By: Allison Bailes

Allison Bailes — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 01:16:16 +0000

Robin, the next step that you
Robin, the next step that you anticipate has already been included, but I neglected to report it. Each home must have a certificate placed on or near the electrical panel that gives basic info about the home's energy characteristics, including the duct & envelope tightness test results. You'll find it on page 6 of the Georgia supplements & amendments, which you can download above.

By: Robin Snyder

Robin Snyder — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 23:48:45 +0000

Wow, wow, wow! I am so
Wow, wow, wow! I am so impressed by the blower door test requirement. So many homes have extremely poor performance energy management-wise merely because sealing and caulking wasn't done. This is a big win for homeowners. I think the next step is to help educate/empower homeowners so that they begin asking their builders for documentation on the test results.

By: Allison Bailes

Allison Bailes — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 05:23:58 +0000

Sean, you raise a good point.
Sean, you raise a good point. I don't think the task force worried too much about BPI not teaching the Duct Blaster. I think they figured if someone has gone through the training and learned the building science, they can figure out how to do a Duct Blaster test, too. I'll ask Mike for his take on that.

By: Sean @ SLS Construction

Sean @ SLS Construction — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 02:52:54 +0000

Way to go Georgia – just one
Way to go Georgia – just one small issue… BPI doesn’t teach Duct Testing in Building Analyst & only use a Pressure pan for Building Envelope & Shell certs. The only group tested using a “Duct Blaster” is the HVAC certified ones.

By: Allison Bailes

Allison Bailes — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 20:34:45 +0000

Paul, Hunter, and anyone else
Paul, Hunter, and anyone else wanting to know about the energy code in your state, here are some resources for you:

Building Codes Assistance Project They have a great, color-coded map showing at a glance what energy code, if any, each state is based on. Click on your state and get more details.

US DOE's Building Energy Codes Program Click on your state to find the details.

Both of these sources are a little behind because the code adoption process keeps moving. You can find contact info for the people who can help you on these websites, so give them a call. BCAP-OCEAN has a weekly email update you can sign up for as well to get the latest info.

By: Hunter Dendy

Hunter Dendy — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 19:49:15 +0000

That's great news for
That's great news for everyone! I wonder when/if NC will follow. I hope GA is setting a new precedence for all other states.

By: Allison Bailes

Allison Bailes — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 17:40:25 +0000

Chris, education is crucial,
Chris, education is crucial, and mostly the building officials educate the builders. Southface has done a lot of energy code training in past cycles, and I expect they'll continue to do that. I'm also going to get involved on that front, so if you know any building departments looking for energy code training, send 'em my way.

Carl, I'm sure compliance will vary a lot by jurisdiction, but overall I think compliance is getting better. The big question is, can we get to the 90% compliance required of any state that took ARRA (stimulus) money?

Regarding the 90% compliance, someone at the SCAC meeting yesterday announce that Georgia is going to be in a pilot study to get a baseline for this. Training of evaluators starts in September.

By: Paul McGovern

Paul McGovern — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 17:35:19 +0000

WOW ! Good for Georgia!!
WOW ! Good for Georgia!! Hopefully South Carolina next...