On November 28, 2023 the Washington State Building Code Council (SBCC) voted to adopt amendments to statewide energy codes for new residential and commercial buildings, ensuring that they are among the most climate and health friendly in the nation and are insulated against gas industry legal tactics. The new codes will go into effect March 15, 2024.
The codes will require new homes and buildings to achieve the same total energy performance as buildings built with electric heat pumps while allowing builders flexibility to choose appliances. Electric heat pumps—which provide both heating and cooling in the same unit—run up to three times more efficiently than gas furnaces, and builders are widely expected to choose them in new construction as they often already do.
These amendments maintain the stringency of the energy codes adopted last year by the SBCC, keeping them at the leading edge of where appliance performance is today. The vote by the SBCC supports the transition for new homes and buildings to run on Washington state’s clean and comparatively low-cost electricity. All-electric homes save Washingtonians $1,000 per year over the lifetime of the HVAC equipment, according to the Washington Department of Commerce.
Background: In 2022, the SBCC adopted the most climate friendly energy codes in the nation, requiring heat pumps for space and water heating in most new residential and commercial buildings. These updates were to have been implemented on July 1, 2023. In spring 2023, a legally-uncertain decision was issued by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals concerning preemption by the federal Energy Policy and Conservation Act and the ability to mandate heat pumps. This prompted the SBCC to convene Technical Advisory Groups to consider stakeholder proposals to modify sections in the commercial and residential energy codes to provide legal insulation. They also voted to delay implementation of the code to accommodate this process.
Shift Zero members led technical coordination and advocacy to uphold the intent of Washington’s strong energy codes, ensuring that new buildings in Washington will be on track with clean and efficient heating and cooling.
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