Built Environment Updates

Built Environment State, Local, and Utility Policy Updates

Florida Storm Plans: On August 10, the Florida Public Service Commission approved storm protection plans, including settlement agreements, for Florida Power & Light, Gulf Power, and Duke Energy Florida; the commission also approved Tampa Electric Company’s revised tariff. Legislation passed in 2019 mandated the creation of the storm plans, which allow utilities to recover costs of grid hardening and resilience measures such as undergrounded powerlines. Docket No. 20200092-EI

Louisiana Energy Infrastructure: Following Hurricane Laura, U.S. Department of Energy Secretary, Dan Brouillette announced his support for federal disaster relief funds to be designated to improving the resilience of energy infrastructure in the state.

North Carolina Green Standards: On September 15, Buncombe County’s Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to require that all new county buildings over 10,000 square feet meet LEED Gold Standards.

Tennessee School Efficiency: In August, the Hawkins County Board of Education voted to approve a plan to implement almost $14 million of energy efficiency measures to reduce the system’s costs by about 20%.

Tennessee Disaster Recovery: In early September, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) approved a grant of nearly $1.2 million for the state to assist the city of Mount Juliet with costs related to damage and debris from March tornadoes.

Built Environment Regional, National, and Federal Policy Updates

Energy Efficiency and Home Buying: On August 6, a study released by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) demonstrating how home energy efficiency scores would lead buyers to select more efficient homes with low energy costs.

Energy Burden Research: A September report from ACEEE finds that low-income communities of color are facing significant energy burdens as the country enters an economic recession. Birmingham, Alabama tops the list of energy-burdened cities.

Resilience Funding: On August 4, FEMA announced notices of $660 million in funding towards the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities grant program and the Flood Mitigation Assistance grant program. The funds are intended to support states, localities, tribes, and territories; applications will be collected from September 30, 2020 to January 29, 2021.

National Energy Codes Conference: The Department of Energy is hosting the annual National Energy Codes Conference, originally scheduled for May, as a seminar series that began October first and will run through December.

Model Building Code: The 2021 International Energy Conservation Code is pending a final round of updates.

Low-Income Community Environments: A recent report commissioned by the Center for American Progress found that minority and low-income communities are more likely to be located in nature-deprived areas, which can affect individuals’ physical and emotional health.

Building Codes to Support EVs: In July, the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) released an upgraded toolkit on adopting building codes to support electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure.

See full details and read more in the Quarter 3 Highlights: July - September 2020