Clean Wisconsin outlines state grant to help local governments update energy codes

Tom Hager, Clean Buildings Manager at Clean Wisconsin, told the Village of Cross Plains Sustainability Committee on Dec. 18, 2024, that a DOE-funded grant program — the Resilient and Efficient Codes Implementation (REKI) project — is offering technical assistance to local governments on energy codes, building electrification and related policy tools.

Hager said the REKI project includes a municipal support program and a “Resilient and Efficient Buildings Local Government Advisor Group” that will produce a step‑by‑step roadmap for local governments, standalone resources and quarterly convenings. “So the project, is called the resilient and efficient codes implementation project,” Hager said.

The nut of Hager’s presentation was that while Wisconsin currently preempts local governments from adopting their own energy codes, municipalities still have several levers to improve building efficiency. The project’s work streams include support for a residential energy code update (a roughly 30‑month process), a baseline code compliance study led by Slipstream, development of technical assistance and an outreach program for local governments and tribal nations.

Hager described components aimed at municipal action: internal “lead by example” policies for local government facilities; guidance on zoning and tax increment financing (TIF) to encourage sustainable construction; a building‑policy tracker that catalogs examples of TIF, benchmarking and other policies across Wisconsin; and a proposed tiered “good/better/best” framework to standardize sustainability expectations for programs such as affordable housing funding.

He told committee members the residential code update is underway and initially may be based on the 2021 or 2024 International Code Council model codes, but that Wisconsin typically amends those model codes. Hager said the commercial code update has been delayed by a legislative action that is now the subject of litigation; the Uniform Dwelling Code Council (UDCC) — appointed by the governor — will recommend residential code changes.

Committee members raised the village’s new village hall, asking specifically about geothermal and whether a high water table would block installation. Hager said he is not a geothermal specialist but summarized earlier outreach the committee had already done: a Focus on Energy representative emailed that a high water table “shouldn’t be an issue” and can improve thermal conductivity. Hager encouraged the committee to use existing avenues — including the special village board meeting on Jan. 13, 2025 — to push for sustainability options on the new building.

Hager also explained municipal policy tools the REKI project is promoting: benchmarking ordinances (which require large existing commercial or multifamily buildings to report energy use intensity), building performance standards (a potential follow‑on to benchmarking that sets staged reduction targets), and “sustainable building” ordinances that incentivize higher performance with zoning or permitting benefits. He said Milwaukee and Madison have benchmarking ordinances in place; building performance standards do not yet exist in Wisconsin but are being considered by some local governments.

Hager said REKI provides resources such as a building policy tracker, a financial resources summary and a guide to internal benchmarking using ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, and that the project team will begin one‑on‑one engagement with local governments in the new year. He invited the committee to join the Wisconsin Local Government Climate Coalition or to receive the project’s emails and resources.

The presentation concluded with committee discussion about next steps, including a suggestion that village staff or volunteers identify whether to pursue TIF, benchmarking, or other funding routes for electrification projects.

Looking ahead, Hager said Slipstream’s compliance study and other analyses will produce more precise estimates of the energy and cost impacts of moving from Wisconsin’s existing code to newer model codes; he offered to share those analyses with committee members.

The committee did not take formal action on REKI at the meeting; Hager’s presentation functioned as informational outreach and an invitation to engage with the grant program’s municipal support work.