Energy

Position Statements

The Council supports policies that provide for continued aggressive energy conservation, including building modifications to promote more efficient energy use consistent with principles of sustainable design.

The Council recognizes the dynamic nature of energy-related building design and encourages expansion of this knowledge through research and dissemination of this knowledge through education and training programs.

The Council supports coordination of overall energy development taking into account public access to all energy related resources and consumption consistent with sustainable design principles.

A basic energy policy should:

Establish basic guidelines concerning energy development, conservation, and utilization through public forum;
Encourage development and uniform adoption and enforcement of energy conservation standards consistent with economic feasibility. These efforts should be coordinated through the State Building Code Council for adoption in the State Energy Code;
Be consistent with the Northwest Planning Council's Model Conservation Standards; and
Support recognition programs for innovative and highly energy-efficient buildings.

The Council is adamantly opposed to "prescriptive" energy conservation legislation without proper inclusion of "performance" criteria enabling the construction industry to exercise its ingenuity in response to desired energy budget goals.

The Council supports legislation that provides incentives for energy conservation modernization for buildings or facilities.