Q2 2026 Codes, Standards and New Construction Newsletter

In Q2 2026, NEEA continued to advance energy efficiency through leadership in building energy codes, appliance standards and above-code construction practices across the Northwest. Several major code development efforts reached significant milestones. In Washington, the 2024 Washington State Energy Code entered its final public review phase, with a large majority of NEEA-supported commercial and residential proposals recommended for approval and positioned to improve energy performance, compliance and readiness for Washington’s Building Performance Standard. Meanwhile, Oregon advanced the 2026 Oregon Residential Specialty Code toward final adoption, Montana’s Building Code Council approved the 2024 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) with amendments, and Idaho continued discussions regarding future adoption pathways following legislative action on the 2024 code package.

At the national level, the technical development of the 2027 IECC was effectively completed as consensus committees finalized review and voting on code change proposals. NEEA staff continued to serve on key committees, helping ensure Northwest perspectives were represented throughout the process while also engaging in discussions that will shape the direction of the 2030 IECC.

Federal standards activity resumed after several quarters of limited action, prompting NEEA engagement on appliance standards and building energy code policy issues. NEEA submitted comments on a petition affecting furnace and commercial water heater compliance dates and began evaluating several new United States Department of Energy rulemakings and requests for information with implications for efficiency programs nationwide.

Education and training remained a cornerstone of NEEA’s Market Transformation efforts. Through code trainings, technical assistance, compliance resources, BetterBuiltNW activities and the Washington commercial code compliance webtool, NEEA continued to support builders, designers, code officials and energy professionals across the region while expanding access to practical energy code implementation resources.