Building Industry Association of Washington (BIAW) and State Building Associations efforts to advocate for a delay in the implementation of the 2009 Washington State Energy Code (WSEC) succeeded, in part, when the State Building Code Council (SBCC) voted under an emergency rule to delay it until October 29, 2010. The SBCC also voted to open regular rulemaking to allow the possibility of extending the delay through April 1, 2011. The vote came three days after Governor Gregoire sent a letter to the SBCC requesting a nine-month delay.

 

BIAW and other coalition partners have been lobbying the SBCC and the Gregoire Administration to reconsider the stringent new energy code regulations for the past year. BIAW and several HVAC contractors and builders alleged these regulations will lead to loss of sales and related activities as consumers choose not to buy new homes, or simply are not able to buy new homes because they will be priced out of the market, hurting an already fragile homebuilding industry.

 

The decision by the Council is a victory for homebuilders, providing a temporary reprieve from the burdensome regulations, but will only delay the economic pain. BIAW will continue its proceedings in federal court, asking the judge to strikedown some of the pending regulations.