Effects of energy-efficiency building codes in the energy savings and emissions of carbon dioxide

This study estimated the effects of energy-efficiency building codes—IECC 2003 and IECC 2006—in residential energy consumption, using the American Community Survey 2007. This study detected violations of the assumption of independence of observation, corrected them by applying a hierarchical estimation technique, and measured the state’s heterogeneity. We found that households can save about 1.8 % of electricity, 1.3 % of natural gas, and 2.8 % of heating oil with the application of these energy efficiency codes, with corresponding reductions in the emissions of the global warming gas, CO₂ of about 7.54 million metric tons per year if all homes apply these codes. For the pressing requirements of energy security and the limiting the emissions of CO₂ for climate change mitigation, these energy efficiency codes can be an effective environmental policy measure for residential sector.