Architects, builders and real estate agents in the valley may support energy efficiency, but they don't like being told what to do.
Many of the members of the building and construction industry who turned out at a public hearing Tuesday on the county's proposed energy code said they like the idea of energy efficiency, but are concerned that adopting a code stricter than what is already required by the state would increase costs and discourage development.
"The whole intention is very, very commendable," said Dennis Kavanagh, a Ketchum-based general contractor. "But the road to perdition is paved with good intentions."
The main concern is that energy codes that are much higher than the state's will drive people looking to build houses out of Blaine County, especially clients for large second homes.
Under the proposed code, new homes of more than 11,000 square feet would be required to have a Home Energy Ratings System (HERS) score of zero, effectively meaning all the home's energy must be produced by solar power or other renewable energy systems.
"Perhaps [large homes] are obscene, but we have to remember our clientele," Kavanagh said. "We might create a consumer-unfriendly environment, where people will say, 'I can't get the house I want in Blaine County, so I'm going to Park City.'"
Smaller new homes would need to comply with a sliding scale of HERS scores on the amount of their energy consumption. The smaller a home, the more energy it's permitted to use per square foot. County Planner Shana Sweitzer said smaller homes could also comply by installing certain approved energy-efficient components.
"This is dramatically higher than our current code," said Mark Pynn, a Ketchum-based architect. "We have a challenging time already meeting clients' expectations and budgets."
But David Neiger, a consultant with Populus Sustainable Design, a Colorado-based consulting firm that helped a county committee develop the code, contended that it wouldn't significantly increase building costs.
"We're talking about a single-digit increase in construction costs if you do it right," he said.
For example, a 10,000-square-foot house could comply by installing a 22-kilowatt solar power system. Neiger said that would add about $132,000 to the construction costs of the house.
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"That's not an incredibly large percentage," he said.
Some argued that Neiger was misrepresenting the total costs to consumers, especially the cost of bringing existing houses up to code whenever remodels or additions are done.
"We have a lot of inventory of existing homes," said Ketchum architect Knox Barclay. "If someone wants a heated driveway, sock it to them. But I worry about people in older homes that aren't up to code."
Even citizens who said they supported the policy direction said they worried about the mandatory nature of the new code.
"I believe in this approach, I just have a problem with it being mandated," said Ketchum architect Mark Pynn.
Sawtooth Board of Realtors spokesman Bob Crosby agreed, saying he'd prefer an incentive-based voluntary program, which he said would "take off like wildfire."
However, Commissioner Tom Bowman said other successful ordinances, such as the one that created the Mountain Overlay District, had to be mandatory in order to work. The real problem, Bowman said, is that the county as a whole is resistant to change.
"This county's always struggled with change, and we've heard dire predictions every time we consider going above the average," he said, adding that he wasn't concerned that potential homeowners would be discouraged by the code.
"There's a certain type of person who will choose to live here because they align with our cultural values," Bowman said. "We're above average."
The commissioners decided to further consider the public's concerns on Feb. 15 at 2 p.m. during their regular meeting at the Blaine County Courthouse in Hailey.
Katherine Wutz: kwutz@mtexpress.com
Code Compliance
For new construction, homes of more than 2,500 square feet would be rated on the Home Energy Rating System Index (HERS), which measures net energy consumption. Acceptable scores depend on the size of the home. Homes over 11,000 square feet must have no net consumption. New homes smaller than 2,500 square feet must receive a HERS score of no more than 70 or use approved energy-efficient insulation, furnaces and hot water heaters. Certification though the National Green Building Standard or Leadership Energy and Environmental Design comprises compliance. Homeowners adding additions of more than 300 square feet must either:
- Improve the entire house's HERS score by 30 points, if the original HERS score was above 100; or
- Use approved insulation, reduce air leakage in the house's duct system by 50 percent and achieve as low a building envelope leakage rate as possible.
Remodels and renovations require a professional energy audit or a self-audit, respectively. Heated driveways and large heated pools and spas are required to have onsite renewable energy or pay a fee used to develop renewable energy elsewhere.
