In 2018, second-term Governor Roy Cooper issued climate-related Executive Orders, which was followed in 2019 by the state’s clean energy plan. North Carolina made a big stride toward making a positive impact on climate change when Governor Cooper signed House Bill 951 in October 2021, which legislation requires the North Carolina Utilities Commission to take steps needed to get North Carolina a 70 percent reduction in carbon emission by the year 2030 and to carbon neutrality by 2050. You can read the press release here and our discussion of this legislation in The Site Report article "Which states could gain the most from energy-saving building codes?" Now, to further push North Carolina toward carbon neutrality, the North Carolina Building Code Council (“Council”) is set to address updates to the state energy conservation code, which is particularly crucial for residential construction. 
 
What kind of changes to the state energy conservation code are we talking about? New efficiency standards would primarily focus on more energy efficient windows and lighting, as well as thicker insulation. These changes, in turn, would result in a reduction of fossil fuels burned for heating and electricity. With approximately 90,000 new housing units built each year, code changes could make a huge impact on reaching climate change goals.
 
What comes next? The Council voted last December to hold a public hearing this March to evaluate state energy conservation code changes. Before the public hearing, the updated cost-benefit analysis from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is expected to be released, and would set forth how new energy conservation standards can reduce energy bills for consumers. The public hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. on March 14, 2023, at the Albemarle Building, 325 N. Salisbury Street, Raleigh, NC 27603, in the second floor training room, Room 240. Comments on the proposed rules and any financial impacts will be accepted, and the deadline for comments is April 17, 2023. Following the public hearing, the Council votes in June on the adoption of new standards. After that, a rules-review panel evaluates the new standards, and the N.C. state legislature may also weigh in. Code changes, if approved, would take effect the beginning of 2025. We will report updates as this story develops.