Building Energy Codes in Arizona: Best Practices in Code Support, Compliance, and Enforcement

Arizona recently surpassed Nevada as the fastest growing state in the U.S.  This surge of population growth has rippling effects throughout the state‟s economy and industries.  Rapid growth in energy demand is one effect, and is an area of significant concern.  Home energy use places the second largest demand on the electrical system.  Therefore, it is imperative that Arizona accommodates the influx of new residents by building homes that use energy efficiently.  This will reduce the need for costly new energy infrastructure and will save money for residential consumers by lowering their energy bills.

Building energy codes are one crucial policy for significantly reducing the
energy use of new homes.

There is an opportunity to increase building energy efficiency in Arizona by: (1) identifying the best practices in energy code support, compliance, and enforcement, and (2) promoting and replicating those best practices in other municipalities across Arizona.

To address this opportunity, the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) conducted this study by interviewing building code officials in municipalities that currently have an energy code in place.  By learning how these departments adopt and implement the building energy code, SWEEP identified and documented the best practices for energy code support, compliance, and enforcement.