Comments are due July 17, 2023 on a preliminary determination by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to adopt the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) and ASHRAE 90.1–2019 as minimum energy efficiency requirements. Docket FR–6271–N–01 is the first step to increasing the minimum energy efficiency requirements for HUD- and USDA-funded housing.

On June 20, 2023, the Village Board of Oak Park, Illinois voted in favor of an all-electric new construction ordinance as part of their building code. This makes Oak Park the first municipality in Illinois - and the Midwest - to pass an electrification ordinance. Electrification was one of the steps identified as necessary to achieve community-wide net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, as set forth by the Village in Climate Ready Oak Park. This follows the adoption of a benchmarking ordinance approved in February 2023.

This blog post is part of a series on Midwest communities using energy efficiency to progress their climate goals. Cities covered previously in the series included Cleveland and Minneapolis.

MEEA’s 13th Annual Midwest Building Energy Codes Conference took place earlier this month, running from Tuesday, November 8 through Thursday, November 10, 2022. The virtual conference had no shortage of lively discussion and useful information presented. 

Pre-Conference Day 

The City of Chicago recently released the Chicago Building Decarbonization Strategy Report, which includes recommendations from the Chicago Building Decarbonization Working Group (CBDWG) on how to equitably address greenhouse gas emissions from buildings.

MEEA is continuing its blog series to highlight Midwest communities using energy efficiency to progress their climate goals. The next city in the series is Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Building energy codes are a powerful tool for incorporating energy efficiency into buildings.

MEEA is producing a blog series to highlight Midwest communities using energy efficiency to progress their climate goals. The first city in the series is Cleveland, Ohio.

The Midwest is leading the way in efforts to advance Building Performance Standards. With the launch of the Biden-Harris Administration’s new Building Performance Standards Coalition, eight of the 33 state and local governments that signed on to make buildings healthier, more efficient and more affordable hail from our region.

On September 15 the Illinois Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) was signed into law. The bill contains many energy efficiency components that will impact and improve the lives of citizens and workers in Illinois, including a provision to create a state stretch energy code.