Energy Savings & Building Efficiency Act (H.R. 3586) Enhances Product Neutrality

Washington, D.C. (July 15, 2019)—American Wood Council (AWC) Vice President, Government Affairs Andrew Dodson has issued the following statement regarding the introduction of The Energy Savings and Building Efficiency Act (H.R. 3586). The bill encourages product neutrality in building energy codes and defines the role of the Department of Energy (DOE) as a technical advisor in the development of model energy codes and subsequent state adoption. It is co-sponsored by Representatives Kurt Schrader (Democrat-Oregon), Bill Flores (Republican-Texas), Tom O’Halleran (Democrat-Arizona), Lou Correa (Democrat-California) and Collin Peterson (Democrat-Minnesota).

“The wood products industry supports economically and technically feasible building energy regulations, and this bill is a step toward removing prescriptive requirements in the code that mandate the use of particular products. Product neutrality in the building energy codes allow all building materials have equal opportunity to contribute to meeting building energy efficiency standards.

“Wood is inherently capable of providing good thermal performance, helping to meet even the strictest energy requirements, while at the same time sequestering carbon from the air. AWC thanks Representative Schrader and the co-sponsors for their work to ensure product and technology neutrality in the energy code development and adoption process.”

For more information, visit awc.org.