International Codes can be confusing. The 2012 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) includes new standards for almost every component in the building envelope, and these standards are further increased in the new International Green Construction Code (IgCC), which serves as an overlay code.
In February, President Obama announced the Better Buildings Initiative, a multi-pronged effort to make commercial buildings 20 percent more energy efficient over the next decade by encouraging private sector investment through incentives to upgrade schools, universities and municipal facilities, as well as offices, stores and other commercial buildings.
