City of Houston - Residential and Commercial Green Building Requirements

Last updated: August 28, 2018

Program Overview

Implementing Sector:Local
Category:Regulatory Policy
State:Texas
Incentive Type:Building Energy Code
Web Site:http://www.houstonpermittingcenter.org/building-code-enforcement.html
Eligible Renewable/Other Technologies:Solar Water Heat, Solar Photovoltaics
Eligible Efficiency Technologies:Comprehensive Measures/Whole Building

Authorities

Name:Ordinance No. 2014-5
Date Enacted:01/08/2014
Effective Date:02/07/2014
Name:Commercial Energy Conservation Code
Date Enacted:04/30/2008
Effective Date:08/01/2008

Summary

Residential

In 2014, the City Council of Houston passed Ordinance No. 2014-5, requiring new residential construction to exceed the energy efficiency requirements under the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) by 15%.

There are several ways a project can demonstrated compliance with the 15% additional energy efficiency requirement, including:

  • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ENERGY STAR Program certification;
  • energy code compliance modeling through approved software, along with testing the building’s thermal envelope;
  • prescriptive energy efficiency option packages approved by Texas A&M Energy Systems Laboratory listed in the statute, among which include either a 4 kilowatt photovoltaic array or a solar hot water system combined with ducts located in conditioned space and 100% ENERGY STAR CFL indoor lamps;
  • demonstrating improved compliance with Section R405 of the 2012 IECC.

Commercial

In April 2008, Houston adopted the City of Houston Commercial Energy Conservation Code based on ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2004.

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