To update or not update the city’s building energy code is one of the biggest issues the Flagstaff City faces each six years.
This time, the council had three choices: stay with the 2006 standards, adopt the most recent 2012 codes recommended by the Department of Energy, or pick a compromise represented by the 2009 updates.
The route to Tuesday’s 4-3 vote to adopt the 2009 energy code demonstrated the complexity of the issue as well as a shifting middle ground among councilmembers.
Back at the June 4 council meeting, the motion to adopt the 2012 energy code was approved on its first reading by a 4-3 vote, with councilmembers Celia Barotz, Karla Brewster, Coral Evans and Mark Woodson voting for adoption.
A DOE analysis put the cost of the 2012 changes for upgrades in insulation and weatherproofing at $2,325 for a 2,400 square-foot home in northern Arizona. The
cost was likely overstated because several higher-cost items, such as whole-house ventilation, were dropped from the Flagstaff requirements.
The analysis placed the annual additional cost on a 30-year mortgage at $122 and annual energy savings at $391.
