International Code Council publishes electric vehicle and building codes resource

The International Code Council, the world’s largest developer of model building codes and standards, announced the publication of a new educational resource on electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure and building codes titled Electric Vehicles and Building Codes: A Strategy for Greenhouse Gas Reductions. This is the first in a series of resources set to be published with the aim of supporting communities in achieving greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goals in a safe and efficient manner.

The framework presents solutions already implemented by jurisdictions that have chosen to enact policies aimed at supporting increased EV deployment. The model language presented in the resource is intended to provide communities with approaches that can reflect local needs and enables the policies and guidelines they set to be directly integrated into the International Codes (I-Codes) family of building safety solutions.

“The Code Council recognizes the strides many communities are making to achieve reductions in greenhouse gases and applauds their efforts to examine how building-related policies can help them meet these goals. As the largest international organization of building safety professionals, the Code Council is uniquely qualified to provide both insight and recommendations that can assist these communities in customizing and implementing impactful policies and help to set a level playing field for manufacturers and suppliers,” said Dominic Sims, CBO, chief executive officer of the International Code Council. “We look forward to working with communities, supplying additional resources to address their needs, including providing language that supports consistency across jurisdictions.”

In March 2021, the Code Council’s Board of Directors issued a new framework to support advancements in energy efficiency and GHG reductions titled Leading the Way to Energy Efficiency: A Path Forward on Energy and Sustainability to Confront a Changing Climate. The framework includes provisions for the development of technical and policy resources that provide communities with tools to support the achievement of their energy efficiency and GHG-reduction goals. These resources are intended to be useable independently and adopted alongside the baseline code to support community needs in specific areas.

With input from Code Council staff, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) released a technical brief on Electric Vehicle Charging for Residential and Commercial Energy Codes in July 2021. The language presented throughout the Code Council’s resource is largely consistent with the DOE and PNNL technical brief but provides flexibility for local jurisdictions on the number and type of EV spaces and reflects additional feedback received from a diverse set of stakeholders, which is listed within the resource’s appendix.

For more information and to download the document, visit the Energy Efficiency and Greenhouse Gas Resources webpage.