The city is in the process of updating its Energy Conservation Code. Learn more about the process and proposed updates.
The City of Boulder Energy Conservation Code sets minimum energy performance standards for newly constructed and renovated buildings.
The code is updated on a three-year cycle, and its last revision was in 2020. The city’s current code is a more rigorous, local version of the 2018 International Energy Conservation Code. With every code update, the city aims to set a path toward net-zero emissions for all building operations, an important milestone in meeting Boulder’s broader citywide target of net-zero emissions by 2035.
Energy codes require new buildings to be more efficient and connected to our increasingly renewable grid, thereby helping to:
They also support making indoor spaces healthier and more comfortable. People spend as much as 90% of their time inside, where they are exposed to unhealthy fumes from gas equipment. Energy codes make the transition to healthier electric alternatives a standard in new buildings, helping occupants breathe easier and join our effort to address climate change.
Draft versions of 2024 code updates will be available soon, and the city will host an in-person open house on Oct. 20 to discuss some of the major proposals. There will also be a public hearing in December and a questionnaire for those interested in providing feedback. Check this project webpage for information on upcoming engagement opportunities.
The overall, long-term goal is to build high performing residential and commercial buildings that efficiently and effectively serve the needs of their occupants without contributing to the climate crisis. The objectives below are designed to support this overarching goal.
Watch city staff’s presentation to City Council on the code update. The most significant changes being proposed are:
This proposed update would require that most equipment and appliances installed as part of a new construction project or major renovation to be electric. Natural gas appliances would still be permitted in some applications, such as commercial kitchens, scientific facilities and certain industrial buildings.
This proposed update would adjust existing requirements to align with new state mandates, as well as better support electric vehicle adoption rates.
In addition to the all-electric appliance requirements, the proposed energy code update would:
In 2020, the city introduced the Energy Use Intensity (EUI) performance pathway. The EUI is the measurement of the total energy use per square foot of building space. The proposed code update would add Fixed EUI Performance targets for large commercial, retail, and restaurants in addition to the current building types permitted. Reference standards would also be updated to the newest versions.
With the cost of renewable energy decreasing, some projects simply install large solar arrays to achieve building performance requirements instead of investing in efficiency upgrades. The proposed update would maintain envelope efficiency standards outlined in the 2020 code to ensure all elements of a newly constructed commercial building’s envelope – it’s windows, walls, floor slabs, roof assemblies and doors – remain efficient and are not traded-off for other efficiencies in the building.
Commercial projects that use fossil fuels would be required to offset 100% of those fuels through on-site renewable energy generation.
Every part of a building creates greenhouse gas emissions through the production and transport of materials used to construct them. We call these emissions embodied carbon.
Preserving structures and reusing and recycling building materials prevent us from generating more carbon because we are using what already exists instead of creating something new. While the energy code specifies how energy gets used in buildings, it is just one of many codes that govern building construction. The city expects to begin an update to the rest of these codes in 2024, and reducing embodied carbon will likely be key part of that effort.
5% of spaces with charging equipment installed
10% of spaces pre-wired
40% of spaces with conduit installed and service capacity available for future use
5% of spaces with charging equipment installed
15% of spaces pre-wired
40% of spaces with conduit installed and service capacity available for future use
40% of spaces with conduit installed
5% of spaces with charging equipment installed
10% of spaces pre-wired
10% of spaces with conduit installed and service capacity available for future use
5% of spaces with charging equipment installed
10% of spaces pre-wired
10% of spaces with conduit installed and service capacity available for future use
20% of spaces with conduit installed
June 2023: Energy Code discussion with the city’s Planning and Environmental Advisory Boards and presentation at City Council Study Session.
October 2023: Initial draft of updated Energy Code and community engagement.
November 2023: Staff will present an overview of the Energy Code update at the Council Study Session (tentatively Nov. 9).
December 2023: 1st Public Reading Hearing for Energy Code update (Tentatively Dec. 21).
1st Quarter 2024: Targeted roll out of Energy Code requirements.
Read our answers to frequently asked questions about the proposed energy code updates.
As part of the code update, staff and city consultants are analyzing the financial impacts of different proposed requirements. While some elements of the proposed code have increased costs associated with them, other elements are expected to reduce costs. As with past code updates, staff’s recommendations to City Council will strive to ensure that savings from efficiency requirements offset any increases in initial construction costs.
Many Colorado communities have adopted the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), which is the current national code. Boulder’s 2020 energy code is comparable and, in some cases, more stringent than the 2021 IECC. Potential updates to the code would align Boulder with communities that have both adopted the 2021 IECC and have set all-electric requirements for new construction.
The new code will likely take effect late in the first quarter of 2024.
No, the proposed update would not ban the use of natural gas, nor would it require that people currently using gas equipment switch to electric alternatives. The proposed update would require that certain types of appliances be electric for new construction. These restrictions would only apply to equipment that have efficient, cost-effective and available alternatives. There would also be exemptions for the electric-only requirement, including commercial cooking equipment, hospitals, laboratories and certain types of industrial spaces.
Yes, there are a wide variety of heat pumps rated to work in cold climates, like Boulder.
While Net Zero Energy (NZE) can be defined several ways, in this context, it means:
The amount of renewable energy produced on site, plus the amount purchased from approved community energy systems, is equal to or greater than the annual energy use of the site.
This definition makes it possible for all buildings to become NZE even with poor solar access or other site constraints. Current conversations among experts and advocates at the national level have introduced alternative terminology, including terms such as “net zero carbon” and “net zero emissions.” City staff are engaged in these conversations and may propose updated terminology in future code updates.
The next step past NZE is net-zero carbon. There are two types of carbon emissions: operational carbon and embodied carbon. Energy codes address operational carbon by requiring efficiency upgrades that reduce emissions. Embodied carbon accounts for all the emissions created through the process of constructing a building and creating its parts. This includes the emissions created by extracting, processing and transporting building materials, like concrete and steel.
While the energy code focuses on operational emissions, some key components such as waste reduction, water efficiency and transportation are covered in applicable sections of the International Building Code, International Residential Code or other international codes.
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