Establish a moratorium on changes to the state energy conservation code from the 2024 International Energy Conservation Code until January 1, 2030, unless approved by the legislature and made effective by the governor.
Summary
H5846 amends Rhode Island’s State Building Code law to direct the State Building Code Standards Committee to adopt and administer an energy conservation code that meets or exceeds the most recently published International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), or achieves equivalent or greater energy savings. The bill specifically requires the state code to align with the 2024 IECC within three months of its release, while expressly prohibiting adoption of the 2021 IECC. It also requires the code to meet or exceed the 2024 IECC’s electric readiness provisions within one year of that code’s release.
The bill further imposes a moratorium on any changes to the state energy conservation code that deviate from the 2024 IECC until January 1, 2030, unless the General Assembly approves the change and the governor makes it effective. In addition, the committee must develop a compliance plan within six months of adopting the relevant code, aiming for at least 90% compliance in new and renovated residential and commercial building space, including training, enforcement, and annual measurement of compliance.
Impact
The bill would temporarily freeze Rhode Island’s energy conservation code at the 2024 IECC baseline, limiting administrative changes by the state building code standards committee and the state building office unless the legislature and governor approve deviations. It would affect residential and commercial construction standards, building code enforcement, and compliance planning, and would likely influence builders, designers, code officials, and energy-efficiency stakeholders by locking in a specific national model code for several years.
Sentiment
The recorded vote suggests broad support for the bill, as it passed the House 68-0. No committee transcript was provided, so there is no detailed record of debate or objections in the materials supplied. Based on the vote, the measure appears to have been viewed favorably and without visible floor opposition.
Contention
The main policy tension in the bill is between stability and flexibility in energy code updates. Supporters appear to favor locking in the 2024 IECC to provide certainty for builders and regulators and to ensure a consistent energy-efficiency standard, while the moratorium limits the committee’s ability to make further changes without legislative approval. Potential points of contention include whether freezing the code could slow future efficiency improvements, how the electric readiness requirements will be implemented, and whether the 90% compliance target is realistic given training and enforcement needs.