ODOE Facilities Engineer Lends Expertise to Development of 2024 International Energy Conservation Code

Oregon Department of Energy Facilities Engineer Blake Shelide has been sharing his energy code expertise with the International Code Council as it leads development of the 2024 International Energy Conservation Code.

The Council is the largest international association of building safety professionals, and serves as a source of model codes and standards that ensure safe, affordable, and sustainable buildings across the world. The Council, through a “Consensus Committee,” is working on developing an updated International Energy Conservation Code, which provide the basis for many state and local codes, and will help reduce energy use and emissions in the built environment for future decades. The code is typically updated every three years.

Blake has been serving on the overall Consensus Committee and as Vice Chair of the HVACR (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, Refrigeration, plus Water Heating) Subcommittee. Blake brings a wealth of expertise to the role. He is a licensed mechanical engineer in Oregon and provides technical support for several ODOE programs, including energy code and energy efficiency standards. He has experience working as a design engineer and consultant, as well as serving as a corporate energy manager for a large industrial manufacturer — which involved engineering and implementing energy efficiency projects, tracking energy consumption, and performing energy audits.

The committee has considered proposals that will increase the energy efficiency of building equipment, provide more efficient building envelopes, provide pathways for electric or electric-ready buildings, and support grid-interactive demand response-capable buildings. The committee will continue refining the proposed code and provide additional opportunity for public review and comment before finalizing the code this fall.

Oregon’s involvement in these national codes and policy discussions has been valuable – it keeps us informed about national trends and provides an opportunity to share the Oregon experience. The development process allows for open public proposals and voicing of differing perspectives, so Oregon can be part of the conversation around policy options and can hear important stakeholder positions.