42 U.S.C. § 6831: Congressional findings and…

Summary

Change federal policies so new homes and commercial buildings that get federal money must include reasonable energy-saving features. Create and put in place, as soon as possible, voluntary performance rules for these new buildings to get the biggest practical energy savings and to increase use of renewable (nondepletable) energy. Ask States and local governments to adopt and enforce those rules in their building codes or use a special approval process. Congress found that new buildings waste large amounts of fuel and energy for heating, cooling, ventilation, and hot water because they lack conservation features. That waste is not affordable given current and expected energy shortages. Higher operating costs from poor energy design can harm repayment or security for federal loans. State and local codes can be used to add these features with little federal interference.

Title 42, §6831

The Public Health and Welfare, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Congress finds that—

(1)large amounts of fuel and energy are consumed unnecessarily each year in heating, cooling, ventilating, and providing domestic hot water for newly constructed residential and commercial buildings because such buildings lack adequate energy conservation features;

(2)Federal voluntary performance standards for newly constructed buildings can prevent such waste of energy, which the Nation can no longer afford in view of its current and anticipated energy shortage;

(3)the failure to provide adequate energy conservation measures in newly constructed buildings increases long-term operating costs that may affect adversely the repayment of, and security for, loans made, insured, or guaranteed by Federal agencies or made by federally insured or regulated instrumentalities; and

(4)State and local building codes or similar controls can provide an existing means by which to assure, in coordination with other building requirements and with a minimum of Federal interference in State and local transactions, that newly constructed buildings contain adequate energy conservation features.

(b)The purposes of this subchapter, therefore, are to—

(1)redirect Federal policies and practices to assure that reasonable energy conservation features will be incorporated into new commercial and residential buildings receiving Federal financial assistance;

(2)provide for the development and implementation, as soon as practicable, of voluntary performance standards for new residential and commercial buildings which are designed to achieve the maximum practicable improvements in energy efficiency and increases in the use of nondepletable sources of energy; and

(3)encourage States and local governments to adopt and enforce such standards through their existing building codes and other construction control mechanisms, or to apply them through a special approval process.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1981—Subsecs. (a)(2), (b)(2). Pub. L. 97–35 inserted “voluntary” before “performance standards”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1981 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 97–35 effective Aug. 13, 1981, see section 1038 of Pub. L. 97–35, set out as a note under section 6240 of this title.

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For

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of this subchapter as the “Energy Conservation Standards for New Buildings Act of 1976”, see section 301 of Pub. L. 94–385, set out as a note under section 6801 of this title.

§6831 Congressional Findings and Purpose

Summary

Title 42, §6831

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

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