Illinois is now officially one step closer to adopting the 2018 IECC as amended by the CDB. The official language can be found on page 5 (aka pg 21,491 of volume 42, issue 49) of the Illinois Register. As required there is one more public comment period that lasts for 45 days (till January 22, […]
Energy Code Basics: FAQ – State Wide Code Apply Locally?
Does a “state wide” code still apply if the local Building Department / has not adopted it? What happens if they “adopt” or “list” it but flat out state that they don’t enforce it or maybe just certain parts of it? How does this impact you; are you free to skip some items, use less […]
2018 IECC – Illinois Board Approved Version
Based on the Administrative Rules for the Energy Code (71 IAC 600.130) once the Advisory Council has recommended modifications to the Energy Code (See: Where we stand (Sub Committee’s)), the Capital Development Board is to review them (9.11.18). As they review those amendments they are also allowed to accept, reject, or make changes on there […]
Energy Code Basics: Avoiding the most common fail
No one likes to fail a building inspection especially when you get dinged a penalty from the Building Department for it. Not only are you out the fee & time you spent there, but it can leave the homeowner or General Contractor wondering about your work. So what is the biggest failure? Duct leakage or […]
Energy Code Basics: Duct Testing – 4% or doesn’t matter?
I’ve looked everywhere… read the code book three times… you’re full of it, they fail… The issue? Well that is where does it state that while duct testing is required, only those following the Prescriptive* path have to be at 4% or less while those following the Performance* or ERI* Paths just have to test […]
2018 IECC & Illinois – Where we stand (Sub Committee’s)
Updated: As we have been covering, the State of Illinois is under the clock to adopt the latest Energy Code (2018 IECC) per the EEB Act (The Full Timeline). At this point in time, the sub-committee’s should have reviewed & voted on all the proposed changes as the next step is the full council votes […]
Energy Code Basics: 3 Key Terms & Compliance Paths
As a certified HERS rater and ICC Residential Energy Inspector / Plans Examiner I find many builders and even inspectors that get confused when it comes to the Energy Codes (IECC). So with that in mind we have started a new series on the basics not written in code speak, starting with the three means […]
2018 IECC & Illinois – Pre-Commentary Meeting & Significant Changes
January 10th: While initial public commentary period should have started on the 1st, it has been pushed back to get approval on the form to be used (link below & approved.) An official notice should be coming out in the next week (Official Page & Form valid to March 31st) and I expect to see […]
2018 IECC & Illinois – Timeline
UPDATED It is that time again, as the 2018 IRC & numerous other building codes have been published, the State of Illinois is now under the clock to adopt the latest IECC per the EEB Act. The timeline as it stands at the moment is: September 2017 – Publication Date December 2017 – Convene initial […]
Guest Post: How The 2015 Energy Code Affects Historic & Existing Buildings
So what happens when a couple of veteran construction editors get frustrated that construction media hasn’t really moved beyond magazines to an actual jobsite tool like, say your smart phone? Well they decided to create their own site to meet those needs and went live last June. Say hello to ProTradeCraft.com; a training and information resource site created for builders, remodelers, […]