PHRC Events

Public Comment Period Open for PA Alternative Residential Energy Provisions

Date: 6/8/2021

Based on the outcome of the PA Uniform Construction Code (UCC) Review & Advisory Council (RAC) review process of the 2018 I-Codes, the PA Alternative Residential Energy Provisions (PA Alternative) will need to be updated to reflect the changes to the UCC that will become effective in the first quarter of 2022. A subcommittee of the PHRC Industry Advisory Council will be directing this process and will take into account public comments. The submission form linked below provides a method to convey comments on the content of the PA Alternative. Each individual comment should be submitted separately. Multiple submissions are required for more than one comment.

Submission form can be found here.

The submission form will be available until June 30, 2021 at 5:00 PM EST. Any questions about this process can be directed to Brian Wolfgang, associate director of the PHRC, at 814-865-1226, bwolfgang@psu.edu.

Background Information

Why was this created?

In November 1999, the Pennsylvania Legislature passed Act 45, known as the Uniform Construction Code (UCC), into law mandating a statewide building code across Pennsylvania. Act 45 requires the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) to promulgate regulations to implement the requirements of the legislation and, in addition, to consider the development of alternative prescriptive methods for energy conservation that account for the various climatic regions within the Commonwealth. In deriving these energy standards, the DLI was to seek to balance energy savings with initial construction costs.

What is the PA Alternative?

The Pennsylvania Alternative Residential Energy Provisions were developed with the intent of being: simpler to build and easier to enforce; more rational and flexible; focused on Pennsylvania in terms of climatic and other conditions; and, equivalent to the provisions of the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) in terms of energy efficiency. For reference, the current (2009) version of the PA Alternative can be found here.

How does the PA Alternative work?

This compliance path allows for some modifications in energy efficiency or trade-offs. To provide for equivalent performance, the building owner or agent must choose one of the energy enhancement options as an entrance requirement for this path.