2015 Illinois Energy Conservation Code ~ Effective January 1, 2016 The following information provides Residential Building Revisions in Illinois to the 2015 Int’l Energy Conservation Code that are enforced as the Illinois Energy Conservation Code Get ready, the new Illinois Energy Conservation Code has been approved and the effective date is January 1, 2016. Unlike the 2009 and 2012 code which, combined, raised the cost of construction in Illinois by an average of $16,000 per unit, HBAI welcomes the 2015 code as it brings new options to builders and minimizes construction cost increases. For the first time since 2009, NAHB helped stop the regulatory binge at the International Code Council, while HBAI did the same with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (IDCEO). With two members now sitting on the Illinois Energy Code Advisory Council (IECAC), HBAI defeated all attempts by IDCEO to stay with the 2012 code. Later in the year and leading all the way up to late November, HBAI also checked state regulators from erasing and delaying sensible changes in the 2015 code. Even after final approval of the code by the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR), a final ditch effort was made in late November by IDCEO officials and consultants to delay enactment of the code for six months, and reverse a new option to use the Home Energy Rating System (HERS) rating system. But all of that was turned back by builders, code officials, engineers, and architects serving on the IECAC. NAHB advised HBAI early this year to embrace the new code as long as certain changes in the code were incorporated. Don Surrena, Program Manager for the Energy Efficiency Construction Department at NAHB, drew a road map for HBAI that was successfully used by our appointees to the IECAC; Jason Huelsman and Allen Drewes. HBAI would like to thank the members of the IECAC who worked long and hard over the past several months to create a new code that is a great improvement over the previous code. A special Home Builder thanks to Lisa Mattingly, Administrator for Professional Services with the Illinois Capital Development Board, for her leadership and extensive knowledge on the application of building codes within the residential and commercial construction industries. Finally, did you know, whether a community enforces the Illinois Energy Conservation Code or not, Builders in Illinois are responsible for building to this statewide set of standards. Failure to do so could result in a civil action against a builder by the home owner resulting in fines and payment to upgrade to the standards set forth at the time of construction. Want to know more about the ECC? Contact Don Surrena, Program Manager, Energy Efficiency, NAHB, (202) 266-8574, or dsurrena@nahb.org. 6
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