New State Codes Affect Construction

Energy Requirements to Change

— New regulations for energy efficiency are a part of new construction codes in the state.

Cities are in the process of adopting the 2012 Arkansas edition of the International Fire Prevention Code, the International Building Code and the International Residential Code. The Arkansas edition includes changes to the regulations from the International Code Council, according to Jim Deer of Fort Smith, a member of the Arkansas Fire Code Revision Committee.

The new fire code doesn’t include sweeping changes, he said. The amendments removed requirements for adding sprinkling systems to residential construction. The biggest change will come when the Residential Energy Code is adopted by the state.

At A Glance

Arkansas Building Codes

The Arkansas Building Code is adopted by the State Fire Marshal’s office. It's a part of the Fire Prevention Code. The code applies statewide, even in rural and unincorporated areas. The code is a three-volume set. Volume I is known as the Fire Code, Volume II is known as the Building Code and Volume III is the Residential Code. The code can be purchased from the International Code Council and from the Arkansas Fire Training Academy Book Store, 870-574-4510.

Source: Staff Report

A new energy code in effect for commercial buildings requires more efficient heating and air-conditioning units be installed, Deer said. The code for residential construction was scheduled to begin Jan. 1, but all the details haven't been worked out. When residential requirements may be effective is not known.

The major commercial energy requirement is air-conditioning units with higher Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratings, also called a SEER rating. Old requirements called for a rating of at least a 10, said Tom Evers, chief building official for Springdale.

The new requirement is for a 13 rating, Evers said. The new units cost more, but would save money on energy bills, he said.

The question is how quickly the energy savings would pay back the initial cost, said Jack Hales, owner of Jack Hales Construction in Rogers.

“Sometimes, you may never break even,” Hales said. Hales also is president of Northwest Arkansas Homebuilders Association.

The Arkansas Homebuilders Association, the parent organization for local homebuilders associations, supports the Arkansas 2012 Fire Code, said Julie Mills, executive vice president. New codes are adopted about every six years, she said.

“We were able to work out amendments that would not cost too much,” Mills said.

There will be a cost, however, said Hales.

“There is a cost with every change,” Hales said. “We’re still learning what the builders will be required to do.”

Education sessions have been set up in central Arkansas to educate builders, Hales said. Local sessions also will be set up.

At A Glance

Arkansas Energy Codes

The Arkansas Energy Code is adopted and required by the Arkansas Energy Office. This code sets minimum energy efficient buildings. For more information call 800-558-2633 or visit the Arkansas Energy website.

Source: Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board

The state revisions included practices that have worked in Northwest Arkansas, said Travis Hollis, a battalion chief in the Rogers Fire Department’s Fire Prevention Division. Hollis said he was on the revision committee.

“There are things built in Northwest Arkansas that people in Little Rock or the Delta don’t have,” Hollis said. “We needed to address those things in the revisions.”

Approval of the new fire code is in the works in Rogers, he said. A Springdale City Council committee sent the fire code Monday to the full council for approval.

The code goes into effect when the state approves it, Deer said. Cities also approve the code to allow enforcement as municipal violations. Construction in rural areas also must follow the codes, Deer said, but the enforcement comes from the state.

Local officials said they would work with builders to phase in the changes.

“If someone has a development designed and in the pipeline, we don’t throw the new rules at them,” Deer said.

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