Though rulemakings for federal standards slowed a little in Q4, NEEA staff were busily involved with three negotiated rules including water heating, commercial unitary air conditioners, and motors. Negotiated rulemakings provide opportunities to discuss challenging tradeoffs with all stakeholders to find the best solution that balances the needs of all participants.
Progress on codes in Washington, Oregon and nationally through the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) process continued in Q4 2022. Washington and Oregon final codes should be published in Q1 2023.
Looking forward, NEEA expects to see the volume of federal standards increase again as the U. S. Department of Energy (U.S. DOE) continues to work through the backlog of standards that are past due for updates.