Guidance Surrounding Department of Energy Support of Building Energy Code Compliance Software, 15112-15113 [2014-05952]

Download as PDF 15112 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 52 / Tuesday, March 18, 2014 / Notices relative to that of heating oil, based on the 2009-to 2013 averages of the U.S. refiner price to end users, which include all the major energy-consuming sectors in the U.S. for these fuels. The source for these price data is the January 2014, Monthly Energy Review DOE/EIA– 0035(2014/01). The Short-Term Energy Outlook and the Monthly Energy Review are available on the EIA Web site at https://www.eia.doe.gov. Propane prices are econometric modeling projections based on historical Weekly Petroleum Status Report winter prices and Mont Belvieu (Texas) spot and futures prices. For more information on the data sources used in this Notice, contact the National Energy Information Center, Forrestal Building, EI–30, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585, (202) 586–8800, email: infoctr@eia.doe.gov. The 2014 representative average unit costs under section 323(b)(4) of the Act are set forth in Table 1, and will become effective April 17, 2014. They will remain in effect until further notice. Issued in Washington, DC, on March 11, 2014. David T. Danielson, Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. TABLE 1—REPRESENTATIVE AVERAGE UNIT COSTS OF ENERGY FOR FIVE RESIDENTIAL ENERGY SOURCES (2014) Per million Btu 1 Type of energy Electricity ................................................................... Natural Gas ............................................................... $36.34 11.28 No. 2 Heating Oil ...................................................... Propane ..................................................................... Kerosene ................................................................... 27.04 29.89 31.70 In commonly used terms 12.4¢/kWh2 thnsp;3 ................................................ $1.128/therm4 ........................................................... or $11.56/MCF 5 thnsp;6 ........................................ 3.75/gallon 7 .............................................................. 2.73/gallon 8 .............................................................. 4.28/gallon 9 .............................................................. As required by test procedure $0.124/kWh 0.00001128/Btu 0.00002704/Btu 0.00002989/Btu 0.00003170/Btu Sources: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Short-Term Energy Outlook (February 11, 2014) and Monthly Energy Review (January 30, 2014). Notes: Prices include taxes. 1. Btu stands for British thermal units. 2. kWh stands for kilowatt hour. 3. 1 kWh = 3,412 Btu. 4. 1 therm = 100,000 Btu. 5. MCF stands for 1,000 cubic feet. 6. For the purposes of this table, one cubic foot of natural gas has an energy equivalence of 1,025 Btu. 7. For the purposes of this table, one gallon of No. 2 heating oil has an energy equivalence of 138,690 Btu. 8. For the purposes of this table, one gallon of liquid propane has an energy equivalence of 91,333 Btu. 9. For the purposes of this table, one gallon of kerosene has an energy equivalence of 135,000 Btu. Forrestal Building, Mailstop GC–71, 1000 Independence Ave. SW., Washington, DC 20585, Telephone: (202) 586–9523, Email: daniel.cohen@ hq.doe.gov. [FR Doc. 2014–05949 Filed 3–17–14; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450–01–P DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Guidance Surrounding Department of Energy Support of Building Energy Code Compliance Software Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of availability. AGENCY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Building Energy Codes Program has made available guidance on how it intends to respond to requests for modified versions of energy code compliance software. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeremiah Williams, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Building Technologies Office, Mailstop EE–5B, 1000 Independence Ave. SW., Washington, DC 20585–0121, Telephone: (202) 287–1941, Email: jeremiah.williams@ee.doe.gov. Daniel Cohen, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of the General Counsel, emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with NOTICES SUMMARY: VerDate Mar<15>2010 18:34 Mar 17, 2014 Jkt 232001 The guidance described in this notice is also posted at https:// www.energycodes.gov/compliance/tools. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: ADDRESSES: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Priorities for REScheck and COMcheck Support The Energy Conservation and Production Act, as amended, directs the United States Department of Energy (DOE) to provide technical assistance ‘‘to improve and implement State residential and commercial building energy efficiency codes’’ (42 U.S.C. 6833(d) and (e)). As part of this directive, to accelerate national code adoption and compliance, DOE’s Building Energy Codes Program provides residential (REScheck) and commercial (COMcheck) energy code compliance software to the building industry and local building jurisdictions, available as free downloads at energycodes.gov. DOE creates a new version of REScheck each time a new edition of the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) is published and a new version of COMcheck each time that a new edition PO 00000 Frm 00018 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 of ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1 is published. DOE also releases regular updates of REScheck and COMcheck for maintenance and enhancement. The IECC and ASHRAE 90.1, respectively, are typically referred to as the national model codes, as they are referenced specifically in federal statute (42 U.S.C. 6833(d) and (e)). Because many states adopt both the residential and commercial provisions of the IECC, and the IECC commercial provisions formally reference Standard 90.1 as alternative compliance path, COMcheck is typically updated to accommodate both the commercial provisions of the IECC and Standard 90.1. DOE has historically created a small number of custom versions of REScheck and COMcheck when requested by individual states which have adopted the national model codes with amendments. In recent years the number of these requests has increased to exceed available program resources. The following priorities provide internal consistency and transparency to the public regarding resources dedicated to REScheck and COMcheck. 1. Order of Priorities for Developing and Maintaining REScheck and COMcheck Versions (a) Current version of national model codes as published. E:\FR\FM\18MRN1.SGM 18MRN1 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 52 / Tuesday, March 18, 2014 / Notices (b) State or local codes that are based on the current version of the national model codes with amendments that increase energy savings. Within this category, further delineations may be made based on the number and complexity of amendments. Energy saving amendments that have the potential to be incorporated into other state or national codes will generally take priority. (c) Current versions of state or local codes not based on or fundamentally diverging from the model codes with energy savings equal to or greater than the current national model code. Note that category (a) will be created automatically by DOE each time a new national model code is published. Creation of versions under categories (b) and (c) will only be considered when requested by states. For (b) and (c), funds may be prioritized for states that have historically used fewer program resources. Also, maximum funding limits may be established for individual state requests based on the total budget available and the number of requests received. Amounts above the maximum would need to be paid for with stateprovided funding. DOE will not provide a custom version of REScheck or COMcheck for State or local codes that provide less energy savings than the current versions of the national model codes. Item No 2. Duration of Support for REScheck and COMcheck Versions DOE will maintain on its Web site REScheck and COMcheck versions based on the current model code and the two previous versions of the model code. Versions older than these will be removed from the Web site and DOE will inform the users prior to the removal. Upon request, any older versions that are removed may be made available to states or other code organizations that wish to maintain them on non-DOE Web sites. If you have any questions please contact the DOE Building Energy Codes Program as identified above, or visit https://www.energycodes.gov/resourcecenter/help-desk. Issued in Washington, DC on March 11, 2014. Jeremiah Williams, Acting, Program Manager, Building Codes, Building Technologies Office. [FR Doc. 2014–05952 Filed 3–17–14; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450–01–P DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission government in the Sunshine Act (Pub. L. 94–409), 5 U.S.C. 552b: AGENCY HOLDING MEETING: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. DATE AND TIME: March 20, 2014, 10:00 a.m. PLACE: Room 2C, 888 First Street NE., Washington, DC 20426. STATUS: Open. MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED: Agenda. * NOTE—Items listed on the agenda may be deleted without further notice. CONTACT PERSON FOR MORE INFORMATION: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Telephone (202) 502–8400. For a recorded message listing items struck from or added to the meeting, call (202) 502–8627. This is a list of matters to be considered by the Commission. It does not include a listing of all documents relevant to the items on the agenda. All public documents, however, may be viewed on line at the Commission’s Web site at https://www.ferc.gov using the eLibrary link, or may be examined in the Commission’s Public Reference Room. 1003RD—Meeting Regular Meeting Sunshine Act Meeting Notice The following notice of meeting is published pursuant to section 3(a) of the Docket No. March 20, 2014 10:00 a.m. Company Administrative A–1 ........ A–2 ........ A–3 ........ AD02–1–000 ................................................ AD02–7–000 ................................................ AD06–3–000 ................................................ Agency Business Matters. Customer Matters, Reliability, Security and Market Operations. Market Update. Electric E–1 ........ E–2 E–3 E–4 E–5 E–6 ........ ........ ........ ........ ........ emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with NOTICES E–7 ........ E–8 ........ E–9 ........ E–10 ...... E–11 ...... E–12 ...... E–13 ...... ER13–103–001 ............................................ ER13–103–003 ............................................ ER12–2709–001 .......................................... ER13–87–001 .............................................. OMITTED .................................................... OMITTED .................................................... RM13–16–000 ............................................. RM13–5–001 ............................................... RM13–19–000 ............................................. RM14–3–000 ............................................... RD14–2–000 ............................................... ER14–385–000 ............................................ ER14–375–000 ............................................ ER13–2063–001 .......................................... ER14–1004–000 .......................................... QF12–135–000 ............................................ EL13–60–001 .............................................. QF13–402–002 ............................................ EL13–73–000 .............................................. QF85–212–001 ............................................ QF08–556–001 ............................................ QF08–557–001 ............................................ QF08–558–001 ............................................ QF08–559–001 ............................................ QF08–598–001 ............................................ VerDate Mar<15>2010 18:34 Mar 17, 2014 Jkt 232001 PO 00000 California Independent System Operator Corporation. Pacific Gas and Electric Company. San Diego Gas & Electric Company. Generator Verification Reliability Standards. Version 5 Critical Infrastructure Protection Reliability Standards. Generator Relay Loadability and Revised. Transmission Relay Loadability Reliability Standards. North American Electric Reliability Corporation. New York Independent System Operator, Inc. ISO New England Inc. and New England Power Pool Participants Committee. California Independent System Operator Corporation. Iowa Hydro, LLC. Otter Creek Solar LLC. Hydrodynamics Inc., Montana Marginal Energy, Inc., WINData, LLC. Hydrodynamics, Inc. Frm 00019 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 15113 E:\FR\FM\18MRN1.SGM 18MRN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 52 (Tuesday, March 18, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15112-15113]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-05952]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy


Guidance Surrounding Department of Energy Support of Building 
Energy Code Compliance Software

AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of 
Energy.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Building Energy Codes 
Program has made available guidance on how it intends to respond to 
requests for modified versions of energy code compliance software.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeremiah Williams, U.S. Department of 
Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Building 
Technologies Office, Mailstop EE-5B, 1000 Independence Ave. SW., 
Washington, DC 20585-0121, Telephone: (202) 287-1941, Email: 
jeremiah.williams@ee.doe.gov.
    Daniel Cohen, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of the General 
Counsel, Forrestal Building, Mailstop GC-71, 1000 Independence Ave. 
SW., Washington, DC 20585, Telephone: (202) 586-9523, Email: 
daniel.cohen@hq.doe.gov.

ADDRESSES: The guidance described in this notice is also posted at 
https://www.energycodes.gov/compliance/tools.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Priorities for REScheck and COMcheck Support

    The Energy Conservation and Production Act, as amended, directs the 
United States Department of Energy (DOE) to provide technical 
assistance ``to improve and implement State residential and commercial 
building energy efficiency codes'' (42 U.S.C. 6833(d) and (e)). As part 
of this directive, to accelerate national code adoption and compliance, 
DOE's Building Energy Codes Program provides residential (REScheck) and 
commercial (COMcheck) energy code compliance software to the building 
industry and local building jurisdictions, available as free downloads 
at energycodes.gov. DOE creates a new version of REScheck each time a 
new edition of the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) is 
published and a new version of COMcheck each time that a new edition of 
ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1 is published. DOE also releases regular 
updates of REScheck and COMcheck for maintenance and enhancement.
    The IECC and ASHRAE 90.1, respectively, are typically referred to 
as the national model codes, as they are referenced specifically in 
federal statute (42 U.S.C. 6833(d) and (e)). Because many states adopt 
both the residential and commercial provisions of the IECC, and the 
IECC commercial provisions formally reference Standard 90.1 as 
alternative compliance path, COMcheck is typically updated to 
accommodate both the commercial provisions of the IECC and Standard 
90.1.
    DOE has historically created a small number of custom versions of 
REScheck and COMcheck when requested by individual states which have 
adopted the national model codes with amendments. In recent years the 
number of these requests has increased to exceed available program 
resources. The following priorities provide internal consistency and 
transparency to the public regarding resources dedicated to REScheck 
and COMcheck.

1. Order of Priorities for Developing and Maintaining REScheck and 
COMcheck Versions

    (a) Current version of national model codes as published.

[[Page 15113]]

    (b) State or local codes that are based on the current version of 
the national model codes with amendments that increase energy savings. 
Within this category, further delineations may be made based on the 
number and complexity of amendments. Energy saving amendments that have 
the potential to be incorporated into other state or national codes 
will generally take priority.
    (c) Current versions of state or local codes not based on or 
fundamentally diverging from the model codes with energy savings equal 
to or greater than the current national model code.
    Note that category (a) will be created automatically by DOE each 
time a new national model code is published. Creation of versions under 
categories (b) and (c) will only be considered when requested by 
states.
    For (b) and (c), funds may be prioritized for states that have 
historically used fewer program resources. Also, maximum funding limits 
may be established for individual state requests based on the total 
budget available and the number of requests received. Amounts above the 
maximum would need to be paid for with state-provided funding.
    DOE will not provide a custom version of REScheck or COMcheck for 
State or local codes that provide less energy savings than the current 
versions of the national model codes.

2. Duration of Support for REScheck and COMcheck Versions

    DOE will maintain on its Web site REScheck and COMcheck versions 
based on the current model code and the two previous versions of the 
model code. Versions older than these will be removed from the Web site 
and DOE will inform the users prior to the removal. Upon request, any 
older versions that are removed may be made available to states or 
other code organizations that wish to maintain them on non-DOE Web 
sites.
    If you have any questions please contact the DOE Building Energy 
Codes Program as identified above, or visit https://www.energycodes.gov/resource-center/help-desk.

    Issued in Washington, DC on March 11, 2014.
Jeremiah Williams,
Acting, Program Manager, Building Codes, Building Technologies Office.
[FR Doc. 2014-05952 Filed 3-17-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
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