Communities need tools that help enhance resiliency, and model building codes can play a strong role in helping make buildings more safe and resilient.
The International Code Council (ICC) defines resilience as “the ability to prepare and plan for, absorb, recover from and more successfully adapt to adverse events.” Communities need tools that help them enhance resiliency, and model building codes can play a strong role in helping to make buildings more safe and resilient.
ICC and the Alliance for National and Community Resilience (ANCR) developed a “Buildings Benchmark” that highlights the importance of community adoption, administration, and enforcement of model building codes. Model building codes are developed through a consensus process with an aim to efficiently leverage national experts, respond to the latest research findings, identify and incorporate new technology and processes, and support economies of scale.
Energy Efficiency Building Codes
Building energy efficiency is critical to enhancing community resiliency. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, building energy codes have a 40-year history of reducing consumer energy bills. Today’s energy codes can provide more than 30 percent savings compared to those of less than a decade ago.
The products of chemistry play a key role in enhancing building energy efficiency:
Plastics products used in roofing, insulation, exterior claddings, and windows in the United States can save up to 467.2 trillion BTUs of energy per year, enough to power 4.6 million homes annually.
Spray foam insulation installed between the walls of a building help prevent cold air from coming in and heat from escaping during the colder months.
Building insulation made from chemical ingredients help save up to 40 times the energy used to create it. Plastic house wrap that creates a weather-resistant barrier saves up to 360 times the energy used to produce it.
