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[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 52 (Tuesday, March 18, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15112-15113]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-05952]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Guidance Surrounding Department of Energy Support of Building 
Energy Code Compliance Software

AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of 
Energy.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Building Energy Codes 
Program has made available guidance on how it intends to respond to 
requests for modified versions of energy code compliance software.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeremiah Williams, U.S. Department of 
Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Building 
Technologies Office, Mailstop EE-5B, 1000 Independence Ave. SW., 
Washington, DC 20585-0121, Telephone: (202) 287-1941, Email: 
jeremiah.williams@ee.doe.gov.
    Daniel Cohen, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of the General 
Counsel, Forrestal Building, Mailstop GC-71, 1000 Independence Ave. 
SW., Washington, DC 20585, Telephone: (202) 586-9523, Email: 
daniel.cohen@hq.doe.gov.

ADDRESSES: The guidance described in this notice is also posted at 
http://www.energycodes.gov/compliance/tools.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Priorities for REScheck and COMcheck Support

    The Energy Conservation and Production Act, as amended, directs the 
United States Department of Energy (DOE) to provide technical 
assistance ``to improve and implement State residential and commercial 
building energy efficiency codes'' (42 U.S.C. 6833(d) and (e)). As part 
of this directive, to accelerate national code adoption and compliance, 
DOE's Building Energy Codes Program provides residential (REScheck) and 
commercial (COMcheck) energy code compliance software to the building 
industry and local building jurisdictions, available as free downloads 
at energycodes.gov. DOE creates a new version of REScheck each time a 
new edition of the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) is 
published and a new version of COMcheck each time that a new edition of 
ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1 is published. DOE also releases regular 
updates of REScheck and COMcheck for maintenance and enhancement.
    The IECC and ASHRAE 90.1, respectively, are typically referred to 
as the national model codes, as they are referenced specifically in 
federal statute (42 U.S.C. 6833(d) and (e)). Because many states adopt 
both the residential and commercial provisions of the IECC, and the 
IECC commercial provisions formally reference Standard 90.1 as 
alternative compliance path, COMcheck is typically updated to 
accommodate both the commercial provisions of the IECC and Standard 
90.1.
    DOE has historically created a small number of custom versions of 
REScheck and COMcheck when requested by individual states which have 
adopted the national model codes with amendments. In recent years the 
number of these requests has increased to exceed available program 
resources. The following priorities provide internal consistency and 
transparency to the public regarding resources dedicated to REScheck 
and COMcheck.

1. Order of Priorities for Developing and Maintaining REScheck and 
COMcheck Versions

    (a) Current version of national model codes as published.

[[Page 15113]]

    (b) State or local codes that are based on the current version of 
the national model codes with amendments that increase energy savings. 
Within this category, further delineations may be made based on the 
number and complexity of amendments. Energy saving amendments that have 
the potential to be incorporated into other state or national codes 
will generally take priority.
    (c) Current versions of state or local codes not based on or 
fundamentally diverging from the model codes with energy savings equal 
to or greater than the current national model code.
    Note that category (a) will be created automatically by DOE each 
time a new national model code is published. Creation of versions under 
categories (b) and (c) will only be considered when requested by 
states.
    For (b) and (c), funds may be prioritized for states that have 
historically used fewer program resources. Also, maximum funding limits 
may be established for individual state requests based on the total 
budget available and the number of requests received. Amounts above the 
maximum would need to be paid for with state-provided funding.
    DOE will not provide a custom version of REScheck or COMcheck for 
State or local codes that provide less energy savings than the current 
versions of the national model codes.

2. Duration of Support for REScheck and COMcheck Versions

    DOE will maintain on its Web site REScheck and COMcheck versions 
based on the current model code and the two previous versions of the 
model code. Versions older than these will be removed from the Web site 
and DOE will inform the users prior to the removal. Upon request, any 
older versions that are removed may be made available to states or 
other code organizations that wish to maintain them on non-DOE Web 
sites.
    If you have any questions please contact the DOE Building Energy 
Codes Program as identified above, or visit http://www.energycodes.gov/resource-center/help-desk.

    Issued in Washington, DC on March 11, 2014.
Jeremiah Williams,
Acting, Program Manager, Building Codes, Building Technologies Office.
[FR Doc. 2014-05952 Filed 3-17-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
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