Texas 2009 - 81st Regular

Texas House Bill HB4086 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	81R12075 TRH-D
2	2	By: Farrar H.B. No. 4086
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to energy efficiency in newly constructed buildings.
8	8	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
9	9	SECTION 1. Section 388.003, Health and Safety Code, is
10	10	amended by amending Subsections (a) and (b) and adding Subsection
11	11	(b-4) to read as follows:
12	12	(a) To achieve energy conservation in single-family
13	13	residential construction, the energy efficiency chapter of the
14	14	International Residential Code, as it existed on January 1, 2009
15	15	[May 1, 2001], is adopted as the energy code in this state for
16	16	single-family residential construction.
17	17	(b) To achieve energy conservation in all other
18	18	residential, commercial, and industrial construction, the
19	19	International Energy Conservation Code as it existed on January 1,
20	20	2009 [May 1, 2001], is adopted as the energy code for use in this
21	21	state for all other residential, commercial, and industrial
22	22	construction.
23	23	(b-4) The State Energy Conservation Office shall:
24	24	(1) not later than the 180th day before the date a new
25	25	edition of the International Residential Code or International
26	26	Energy Conservation Code is scheduled to be published, and in
27	27	cooperation with the laboratory, the Public Utility Commission of
28	28	Texas, and interested persons under Subsection (b-2), identify a
29	29	list of energy code improvements anticipated to be contained in the
30	30	new edition and develop market transformation programs to train
31	31	builders, architects, and tradesmen to meet the anticipated code
32	32	improvements; and
33	33	(2) identify additional energy efficiency measures,
34	34	technologies, and practices that have the potential to
35	35	significantly reduce energy use in buildings.
36	36	SECTION 2. Section 388.003(b-1), Health and Safety Code, as
37	37	added by Chapters 262 (S.B. 12) and 939 (H.B. 3693), Acts of the
38	38	80th Legislature, Regular Session, 2007, is reenacted and amended
39	39	to read as follows:
40	40	(b-1) If the State Energy Conservation Office determines,
41	41	based on written recommendations from the laboratory, that the
42	42	latest published edition of the International Residential Code
43	43	energy efficiency provisions or the latest published edition of the
44	44	International Energy Conservation Code will result in residential
45	45	or commercial energy efficiency and air quality that is equivalent
46	46	to or better than the energy efficiency and air quality achievable
47	47	under the editions adopted under Subsection (a) or (b), the office
48	48	shall [may] by rule adopt the equivalent or more stringent editions
49	49	and substitute them for the energy codes described by Subsection
50	50	(a) or (b). The rule, if adopted, shall establish an effective
51	51	date for the new energy codes but not earlier than nine months after
52	52	the date of adoption. The laboratory shall make its
53	53	recommendations not later than six months after publication of new
54	54	editions at the end of each three-year code development cycle of the
55	55	International Residential Code and the International Energy
56	56	Conservation Code.
57	57	SECTION 3. Section 39.905, Utilities Code, is amended by
58	58	adding Subsection (d-1) to read as follows:
59	59	(d-1) In addition to the market-transformation programs
60	60	described by Subsection (d), the commission shall establish, and
61	61	each utility shall implement, market-transformation incentive
62	62	programs that:
63	63	(1) encourage the use of new building technologies and
64	64	construction practices that are anticipated to be included in a new
65	65	edition of the International Residential Code or International
66	66	Energy Conservation Code;
67	67	(2) offer incentives for a building that exceeds by at
68	68	least 15 percent the energy conservation standards of the most
69	69	current edition of the International Residential Code or
70	70	International Energy Conservation Code;
71	71	(3) offer increased incentives for a building that
72	72	exceeds by at least 30 percent the energy conservation standards of
73	73	the most current edition of the International Residential Code or
74	74	International Energy Conservation Code; and
75	75	(4) encourage the testing of new building technologies
76	76	and construction practices that:
77	77	(A) have significant potential to reduce
78	78	building energy use by 50 percent or more within 10 years of the
79	79	date the incentive is given; and
80	80	(B) integrate renewable energy into building
81	81	designs.
82	82	SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2009.