When it comes to building projects, this one's a monster. The construction zone is essentially the entire country. The builders are a variety of specialists, including architects, plumbers, masons, and lighting, heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning experts. The goal: a code to guide all development of green commercial buildings in the United States.

President Barack Obama and President Hu Jintao announced a far-reaching package of measures to strengthen cooperation between the United States and China on clean energy. U.S. and Chinese officials will work together and with the private sector to develop energy efficient building codes and rating systems; benchmark industrial energy efficiency; train building inspectors and energy efficiency auditors for industrial facilities; harmonize test procedures and performance metrics for energy efficient consumer products; exchange best practices in energy efficient labeling systems; and, convene a new U.S.-China Energy Efficiency Forum to be held annually, rotating between the two countries.

Key members of the House and Senate today are set to announce a lighting standards agreement that would significantly boost efficiency provisions in the Senate climate and energy bill, efficiency advocates and lighting manufacturers said yesterday.

In late 2009, a proposal was adopted to amend the Indiana Energy Conservation Code by adopting ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2007 for commercial and residential buildings. This would be the first substantial commercial code update in two decades. An effective date is expected in early May.

Updated building energy-efficiency standards were adopted by the California Energy Commission last month.

Although West Virginia's code update schedule would normally require code updates only a few years after new code versions are published, the state is presently considering an early update to the 2006 International Energy Conservation Code.

The Office of the Attorney General drafted a memo specifying the requirements of adoption of the residential and commercial energy codes. All cities and counties with building codes will be required to adopt and enforce a relatively up-to-date building energy code (2003 International Energy Conservation Code). 

The states of Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington were authorized to form the Pacific Northwest Electric Power and Conservation Planning Council. The Act directed the Council to draw up a plan for meeting the electrical needs of the region at the lowest possible cost. The plan called on Bonneville and region's utilities to develop and implement a wide array of conservation programs, and to adopt more energy-efficient building codes.

On January 28, companion bills were introduced in the Tennessee House and Senate that would establish ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2007 as the minimum energy standard for all new buildings that are not one- and two-family dwellings. The bills, however, also allow jurisdictions to adopt Standard 90.1-2001, its equivalent, or a more stringent code.

On January 14, a bill was introduced in the Alabama State Legislature that would provide a process for adoption and compliance with codes required under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. On January 26, the House passed the bill unanimously.

Revisions that would make Boulder County's green-building code far more flexible will be recommended to county commissioners after gaining the unanimous approval of an advisory board on Monday. As approved by the county's Board of Review, the proposed changes would allow many of the people who plan to build a new home or addition in unincorporated Boulder County to meet the code's requirement using a prescriptive approach– which works like a checklist– instead of the existing performance-based approach.

On February 1st, the NYC Green Codes Task Force released its much-anticipated report–the most sophisticated and comprehensive analysis of building codes ever conducted by a municipality anywhere. The proposals would affect building codes as well as other codes, such as zoning, health, consumer affairs, and environmental protection—resulting in greener, healthier buildings for all New Yorkers.

In accordance with the statutory requirements of the Green Communities Act of 2008, the Board of Building Regulations and Standards (BBRS) has amended the 7th Edition State Building Code. As of January 1, builders must use the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code with MA amendments.

Dallas home builders will soon move toward greener building standards and will become one of the first major U.S. cities to pass comprehensive building standards for both residential and commercial construction. In phase one, Dallas homebuilders will build their homes to be 15% more efficient than the base energy code. In phase two, home builders must aim for a 20% water reduction and a minimum 17.5% more efficiency than the base energy code.

When Utah lawmakers convene next month, one of the items on their 2010 legislative agenda will be reconstructing the state's standards for commercial and residential construction. Among excluded provisions are those addressing the energy code, such as those involving insulation, windows, and appliances, according to the Utah Homebuilders Association.

The Board of Selectmen moved the town of East Longmeadow one step closer to becoming a certified Green Community by unanimously approving a motion to adopt the stretch energy code. This optional building code, adopted by the state in May, was developed in response to the call for improved building energy efficiency in Massachusetts. Towns and cities may adopt the code in place of the energy efficiency requirements of the "base" building code.

A New York State board has recommended a plan intended to make energy more affordable, efficient, and environmentally friendly while helping to create jobs over the next 10 years, officials said. One initiative in the plan, which updates energy goals set in a similar report in 2002, calls for a new state building code that would require stricter energy efficiency standards.

After it adopted the 2009 IECC and other 2009 I-Codes in May, the New Hampshire State Building Code Review Board finalized the adoption process on December 11 as it reviewed several proposed amendments, rejecting most but approving an exemption for log homes.

The Tennessee legislature passed a bill earlier this year creating a comprehensive energy policy for the state that, among other provisions, established a statewide residential building code for cities and counties currently without minimum building standards for single- and two-family dwellings.

On December 10, the Pennsylvania Independent Regulatory Review Commission approved a regulation adopting the 2009 IECC as the Commonwealth's new energy code for residential and commercial construction. It will be effective January 1, 2010.