Town Council will consider new requirements for building

Buildings in Crested Butte will be super-efficient

Since the early 1990s, the town of Crested Butte has had some of the strictest building requirements anywhere in the state, if not the country. Those building standards are getting even tighter.

“For 15 years we were way ahead of the game in Crested Butte,” said town building inspector Scott LeFevre. “Then the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) was published with standards that are ahead of even Crested Butte. Under state law, we must adapt those codes, and so our standards will be increasing in a number of areas.”
The IECC 2003 codebook was mandated as the minimum standard for Colorado by the state legislature and was required to be implemented by building departments last June. The IECC continually updates its codes and has even newer standards that will not yet be adapted. LeFevre said that framers and insulators won’t see much difference with the increased standards in the Crested Butte building codes but the plumbing, electrical and mechanical aspects of building will see an “absolute” impact.
More than a dozen items related to residential building codes and almost three dozen items in the commercial building realm will see an increase in standards.
Under the IECC, there are 17 climate zones listed and each has different requirements. Crested Butte falls into the most extreme climate zone. As such, requirements for such things as high R-value insulation and windows come into play.
“It is totally up to speed and beyond what we used to think was forward-thinking examples,” said LeFevre. “The point is to make Crested Butte buildings super-efficient.”
According to LeFevre, some communities amend the code to make it less stringent. “We won’t do that,” he said.
In fact, on top of the IECC codes, Crested Butte will maintain building science requirements such as a mandatory blower door test, installation of air-to-air heat exchange systems and energy-efficient appliances. The opportunity for a building to obtain a four-star Energy-Star rating will also remain a compliance option in Crested Butte.
Office for Resource Efficiency (ORE) building director Andris Zobs feels the adaptation of the more stringent standards is another good step for Crested Butte. “The IECC 2003 standard is a good improvement to Crested Butte’s energy conservation code and is in fact the mandated minimum for our state,” he said. “But energy code is only one part of the equation. A comprehensive sustainable building program should also include consideration of issues like indoor air quality, materials and durability.
“It is important to not limit building design and construction to simple code compliance,” Zobs continued. “In fact many communities in Colorado, Pitkin County and Carbondale for instance, have already adopted programs that push new construction beyond the IECC.”
LeFevre is excited about moving in the direction of more energy-efficient building standards. “It is the whole dynamic cultural movement of energy efficiency in building that has become a tidal wave in the last six months,” said LeFevre. “The tide is starting to turn and implementing these standards helps. To have it in the mainstream codes is nice and takes some pressure off of us. These are things that used to be looked at as alternative energy stuff and now it is considered the norm. That is a good thing for everyone.”
The Crested Butte Town council plans to formally adopt the IECC code this month.
The town of Mt. Crested Butte adopted the 2003 IECC code in June 2007, along with other international code standards for 2003, including building and fire codes. Mt. Crested Butte community development director Bill Racek says the town is now beginning the process of converting to the 2006 international code standards, which are even more stringent. He expects a formal adoption of the 2006 series sometime next summer.