Codes to Cleaner Buildings: Effectiveness of U.S. Building Energy Codes

The study finds that U.S. building energy codes lead to a 10% decrease in energy use per housing unit and a 16% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, outperforming the 5% savings predicted by engineering simulation models.

• Building energy codes are associated with a reduction in energy consumption per housing unit of approximately 10% compared to households built without such codes.
• The use of building energy codes correlates with a shift in fuel sources, specifically an increase in natural gas usage and a decrease in the use of other fuels, such as fuel oil, likely due to code provisions promoting electric heat pumps and high-efficiency gas units.
• The combination of reduced energy consumption and the shift toward less greenhouse gas-intensive fuels like natural gas has resulted in an estimated 16% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions for an average household under these codes.
• Real-world energy consumption data indicates that building energy codes provide higher energy savings than the 5% estimated by engineering simulation models.

APA

Climate Policy Initiative (2011). Codes to Cleaner Buildings: Effectiveness of U.S. Building Energy Codes. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/publication/codes-to-cleaner-buildings-effectiveness-of-u-s-building-energy-codes/

Chicago

Climate Policy Initiative. Codes to Cleaner Buildings: Effectiveness of U.S. Building Energy Codes. 2011. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/publication/codes-to-cleaner-buildings-effectiveness-of-u-s-building-energy-codes/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Policy Initiative |title=Codes to Cleaner Buildings: Effectiveness of U.S. Building Energy Codes |date=8 September 2011 |url=https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/publication/codes-to-cleaner-buildings-effectiveness-of-u-s-building-energy-codes/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatepolicyinitiative2011codes, author = {{Climate Policy Initiative}}, title = {{Codes to Cleaner Buildings: Effectiveness of U.S. Building Energy Codes}}, institution = {Climate Policy Initiative}, year = {2011}, month = sep, url = {https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/publication/codes-to-cleaner-buildings-effectiveness-of-u-s-building-energy-codes/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }