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Energy Code Update

 

As of March 25, 2021, the new minimum statewide energy code is the 2018 New Mexico Energy Conservation Code (14.7.6 NMAC and 14.7.9 NMAC).

Builders must comply with the requirements of the 2018 International Energy Conservation Code (2018 IECC) and New Mexico Construction Industries Commission (CID) Amendments. One of these amendments, found in the 2018 New Mexico Residential Energy Conservation Code (NMRECC), 14.7.6 NMAC, details allowable compliance materials.

The manual and worksheets below are included in the list of approved code compliance materials.

  • The manual provides useful construction materials and assembly data and guidance on how to calculate and show code compliance for non-standard homes, including those employing passive solar features.
  • The tradeoff worksheet and the passive solar worksheet are detailed in the manual and are available here in electronic form.
  • The tradeoff worksheet includes embedded calculations and code compliance checks to ease the use of the alternate code compliance analysis.

Residential Applications Manual

Tradeoff Worksheet

Passive Solar Worksheet

 

The 2018 IECC energy code will save ($3) for every dollar ($1) invested. A single-family home will save an average of $402 in annual energy costs when compared to the requirement of the old 2009 New Mexico energy code based on a study conducted by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). Commercial building owners will save from $5.89 to $37.47 for every ($1) invested based on the same PNNL study.

Updating the 2018 IECC energy code was one of the objectives of Executive Order 2019-003 to achieve a statewide reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of at least 45% by 2030 as compared to 2005 levels. Adopting the 2018 IECC will reduce greenhouse gases by over 27,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year based on the PNNL study.

A new service started in 2022 provides technical assistance on the practical value of energy codes. The service, referred to as the Energy Code Circuit Rider provides assistance to the residential and commercial building industry for the 2018 IECC and the ASHRAE standard 90.1. This effort is funded by the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) with collaboration of EMNRD and CID. The Circuit Rider can assist building departments, building officials, residential builders, commercial builders, design and construction professionals, HERS Raters, and others in the buildings industry with energy code assistance. For NM Energy Conservation Code assistance please visit: https://swenergy.org/nm-energy-code-circuit-rider.