Texas' Senate Bill 5 Legislation for Reducing Pollution in Non-Attainment and Affected Areas: Procedures for Measuring Electricity Savings from the Adoption of the International Energy Conservation Code (IRC/IECC 2001) in New Residences

Abstract

Four areas in Texas have been designated by the EPA as non-attainment areas because ozone levels exceed the NAAQS maximum allowable limits, Beaumont-Port Arthur, El Paso, Dallas-Ft. Worth, and Houston-Galveston-Brazoria. These areas face severe sanctions if attainment is not reached by 2007. Four additional areas in the state are also approaching national ozone limits (i.e., affected areas), including: Austin, Corpus Christi, San Antonio, and the Longview-Tyler-Marshall area. In 2001, the Texas State Legislature formulated and passed Senate Bill 5 to further reduce ozone levels by encouraging the reduction of emissions of NOx by sources that are currently not regulated by the TNRCC, including area sources (e.g., residential emissions), on-road mobile sources (e.g., all types of motor vehicles), and non-road mobile sources (e.g., aircraft, locomotives, etc.). An important part of this legislation is the evaluation of the State's energy efficiency programs, which includes reductions in energy use and demand that are associated with specific energy conservation measures. This paper outlines the procedures that are being developed to report the electricity savings associated with the adoption of the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC 2001) in residential construction in non-attainment and affected counties. These electricity savings will then be converted to NOx reductions using the appropriat