Now that the General Assembly session has ended, the VAEEC has switched its attention to several of our other priority programs, including the building code update process currently taking place here in Virginia. Southeast Energy News just had a good summary of this process that quoted VAEEC Board member Andrew Grigsby extensively.

There are myriad important ways for you to support strong building codes in Virginia.

Public Comment Period Now Open and Webinar Available for Support

The Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) recently opened a public comment period seeking comment on the current draft code regulations that will run through May 26 (an extension from the original deadline of April 21). 

We will be holding a members-only webinar on Thursday, April 20 at 12pm that will include:

• Update on proposals we support
• Key messaging points to consider for your comments
• Overview of VAEEC’s draft comments
• Q&A and on-the-spot feedback

Comments can be submitted through the Commonwealth’s Town Hall website.

Support Proposals in Person 

On April 11^th, the stakeholder workgroup, which is open to anyone to participate, will be meeting to discuss all of the energy proposals currently being considered for inclusion in the code update. Any member of the public can attend and speak in support of proposals that are being presented. We encourage anyone who is interested in this topic to attend to show your support for the following proposals* to require:

• Insulation on all hot water pipes
• Pressure testing for air ducts 
• Blower door tests for whole home air-tightness (two proposals a and b)

*You need to register on the DHCD website to view these and other proposals that are currently being considered.

There will also be a public hearing at the May 15^th Board of Housing and Community Development meeting. The meeting will begin at 10am. We strongly encourage anyone who wishes to attend this meeting to get there early as seating is very limited.

Board Nominations Open

Finally, as we mentioned in previous communications, there will be one open seat on the Board of Housing and Community Development. We are seeking candidates who have a strong building science background and who live in congressional district one, which runs from Poquoson to Manassas (check here to see if you live in this district). If you are interested in being on the board and qualify for this seat, please email me at Chelsea@vaeec.org with your resume. We will be submitting the name(s) of our potential candidates to the administration in late spring.