On June 22, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards signed HB 803 into law requiring the statewide adoption of the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code and the 2021 International Residential Code, Chapter 11—Energy Efficiency, according to iccsafe.org. The Louisiana legislature previously had cleared the bill unanimously.
The newly signed bill will transfer the responsibility of commercial energy code enforcement from the state government to the local, municipal/parish government and third-party providers, and the Louisiana State Uniform Construction Code Council will add the IECC as part of the statewide adopted codes.
To facilitate the code’s adoption, HB 803 also establishes the Energy Code Commission, which comprises 16 members and is responsible for reviewing and amending the 2021 editions of IRC Chapter 11 and IECC for residential, commercial and state-owned buildings. This temporary commission will review and consider amendments to the 2021 energy code provisions and dissolve upon the completion of the Louisiana State Uniform Construction Code Council’s Administrative Rule process, completing the adoption of the 2021 IECC. The code’s ultimate statewide effective date is July 1, 2023.
The new legislation comes as the Department of Energy is standing up a grant program to help implement updated energy codes. The Energy Code Implementation Program was established in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed in November 2021, which provides $225 million over five years.
