Energy and Carbon Advisory Council Structure
At all levels of government and within the building industry recent attention has focused on reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). In March 2021, recognizing the need for a coordinated set of solutions, the International Code Council Board of Directors approved an energy efficiency and sustainability framework, which includes establishing an Energy and Carbon Advisory Council to help inform activities under the framework and additional initiatives.
Read on for information on roles, responsibilities and structure for the ICC Energy and Carbon Advisory Council.
About the Advisory Council
The Energy & Carbon Advisory Council will consist of approximately 15 individuals who are not typically involved in our codes and standards development activities, but who are engaged in the energy and carbon conversations happening around the world. We are looking to this group to provide insight into the activities and priorities developing outside our day-to-day work and how the Code Council can help deliver solutions to assist these initiatives. From the international perspectives to the financial marketplace view, to social equity experts, to corporate board rooms, and governmental leaders, we want to develop the solutions and tools necessary to help the building industry and society address their energy and carbon concerns of today and tomorrow.
Through their participation we hope Advisory Council members will also gain insight into the interconnections between multiple sectors of the economy and establish new relationships that can support a holistic and coordinated strategy.
Initial Topics of Focus
Development of the 2024 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) under the new process is already underway. Within the new scope and intent, the Energy and Carbon Advisory Council, through the ICC Board of Directors, can help provide the development committees with a broader perspective for their work. The Council will also assess (with the measurement assistance from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)) whether the 2024 draft IECC meets the ICC goal of incremental improvement in overall average efficiency from the 2021 IECC.
Based on feedback from stakeholders, the Code Council has identified several topics for development of resources. Last September we released information on charging infrastructure for electric vehicles including model code language for jurisdictions interested in implementing such requirements. Development is currently underway on a resource on building performance standards and their intersection with codes and code departments. While several other topics have been identified for future work, the Advisory Council can help assess real market need, identify supply chain readiness and set priorities on timing or help identify additional topics for future resources.
To date, significant attention has been focused on how buildings use energy (operational energy). Tools like energy codes have resulted in significant progress (about a 40 percent reduction in energy use from the 2006 IECC to the 2021 IECC) and are continuing to progress as noted above. Attention is now shifting to include how building materials and the construction process impact GHG emissions. Given our expertise across the design, construction and operations process, the Code Council is uniquely positioned to support a life-cycle approach to carbon reductions. While several pieces are already in place or underway (including verification of environmental product declarations (EPDs) and development of a standard to support measurement and verification of carbon across a building’s life cycle), additional tools will be necessary to support the holistic approach needed. The Advisory Council can help inform the pieces necessary and how they can best support the needs of related sectors of the economy.
Energy and Carbon Advisory Council Members
Oday Al-Buhamad, Director of Standards and Metrology Directorate, Gulf Cooperation Council Standards Organization
Ted L. Clifton, Zero-Energy Plans and CVH, Inc.
Lance Davis, Sustainability Architect, U.S. General Services Administration
Verne Emmanuel, CEO, St. Lucia Bureau of Standards, Caribbean Regional Organization for Standards and Quality
Paula Glover, CEO, Alliance to Save Energy
Bryan Hoffman, Director of Building and Energy, St. Louis Park, MN
Ed Mazria, President & Founder, Architecture 2030
Penni McLean-Conner, Executive Vice President, Customer Experience and Energy Strategy, Eversource Energy
Phoebe Romero, Equity Manager, Clean Energy Procurement, Clean Energy Buyers Association
Arah Schuur, CEO, Northeast Energy Partnership
Larry Sherwood, President & CEO, Interstate Renewable Energy Council
RK Stewart, Principal, RK Stewart Consultants, AIA Past President