Act 151 Building Energy Code Working Group Report to the Vermont Legislature

The Act 151 Building Energy Code Working Group (BECWG) was convened by the 2024 Vermont Legislature to address issues related to declining compliance rates with Vermont's mandatory energy codes, known as the Residential Building Energy Standards (RBES) and Commercial Building Energy Standards (CBES). Specifically, the Working Group was asked to examine three "charges":

1. Recommend strategies and programs to increase awareness of and compliance with the RBES and CBES, including the use of appropriate certifications for contractors trained on the energy codes.
2. Develop plans and recommendations for a potential transition to a comprehensive program for the RBES and CBES at the Division of Fire Safety, including potential funding sources.
3. Consider whether or not the State should adopt a statewide building code.
   The Working Group met five times between August and November of 2024 to address the charges above, review the recommendations in the previous Act 47 report, and compile recommendations, which are presented in this report.

Related Client Project:

Vermont Building Energy Code Working Group Facilitation

EFG facilitated the Act 47 and Act 151 Energy Code Working Groups for the Department of Public Service. Working group members included a diverse set of market actors engaged in the residential and commercial construction markets in Vermont. Activities included facilitating five building energy code working group sessions, presenting key research findings to working group […]

Related Team Members:

Richard Faesy

As a Certified Energy Rater and LEED Accredited Professional, Richard specializes in residential buildings, technologies and markets.

Zack Tyler

Zack has 15 years of experience in the energy industry with a focus on energy efficiency program evaluation, market research, and market transformation efforts. He specializes in building decarbonization and building energy codes.