The final quarter of 2023 proved to be as exciting as the rest of the year. State codes achieved significant milestones and standards continued to progress for several important products including water heaters and motors. A few highlights are listed below, and details are included in the rest of this newsletter.
Looking forward, 2024 should see new codes going into effect in Oregon and Washington and the ratification of a slightly amended code in Idaho. We also expect to see final rules for about 24 federal standards by the end of 2024; these final rules are the culmination of years of effort by the U.S. Department of Energy (U.S. DOE), energy efficiency advocates and industry representatives. These standards should benefit the Northwest for years to come.
Codes
Following two public hearings and a comment period, Idaho’s Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) recommended to the Governor’s office to move the building energy code updates to “pending.” The Q1 2024 legislative session is expected to approve the updates, which largely preserve the code, after a two-year process that threatened to dramatically reduce the stringency of the code.
Standards
The U.S. DOE published dockets for water heaters and motors, moving these two products closer to final rules.
Funding Opportunities
The U.S. DOE released the second funding opportunity announcement (FOA) for code support included in the Inflation Reduction Act. $540M is being offered via competitive bidding to all jurisdictions including cities, counties, and states. Applications are due February 9, 2024.
