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Committee debates bill to exempt small towns from updated energy codes; opponents warn of lost efficiency
Summary
Assistant Minority Leader Winter asked the House committee to consider Senate Bill 141, which would exempt municipalities with 2,500 or fewer residents from adopting residential energy code standards equivalent to the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code, saying small rural projects and volunteer-staffed towns cannot absorb the costs or inspection burden.
Assistant Minority Leader Winter told the committee she brought Senate Bill 141 to address the difficulties small towns face when required to adopt newer residential energy codes.
"We're talking sometimes up to maybe one house in a county," Winter said, urging colleagues to consider small, rural building projects rather than urban apartment development.
Supporters — including representatives of Kit Carson Rural Development and Club 20 — told the panel the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) and related requirements raise construction costs by tens of dollars per square foot and impose inspection and staffing burdens that few towns with small tax bases can meet. Amy Johnson, executive director of Kit Carson…
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