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Recent News

ICC COMMISSIONING GUIDELINE AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT Oct 10, 2011: The purpose of the guideline is not to define what commissioning is but rather to provide regulators and third parties with a guide on how to apply building commissioning to satisfy regulatory requirements and outline the skill sets necessary for commissioning activities.

NEW CODE EXPECTED TO IMPROVE ENERGY USE IN COMMERCIAL, RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS BY UP TO 30 PERCENT Jul 29, 2011: The International Energy Conservation Code would increase the energy efficiency of commercial buildings by about 25 percent when compared to the 2006 version of the code.

C40, ICLEI TO ESTABLISH GLOBAL STANDARD ON GREENHOUSE-GAS EMISSIONS FROM CITIES Jun 17, 2011: This "common approach" is intended to help local governments accelerate their emission-reduction activities while meeting the needs of climate financing, national monitoring, and reporting requirements, according to ICLEI.

AUSTRALIA RELEASES PAPER ON TAX BREAKS FOR GREEN BUILDINGS PROGRAM Feb 1, 2011: The program is part of the Australian government's strategy to improve the energy efficiency of existing commercial buildings.

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ADOPTS PLAN FOR A 20 PERCENT INCREASE IN ENERGY EFFICIENCY BY 2020; OTHER ENERGY-EFFICIENCY DEVELOPMENTS REPORTED Jan 3, 2011: In an interview with Green Building Insider, Knauf Insulation's Barry Lynham addresses when the target would start to take effect, how it will likely be met, and other issues.

SEVERAL COMPANIES REPORT NEW DEVELOPMENTS INVOLVING BUILDING-INTEGRATED PHOTOVOLTAICS Jan 3, 2011: Developments involve Norway-based REC, China Sunergy, and Lumeta.

GBI SURVEY: COUNCILS EXPECT HUGE INCREASES IN GREEN BUILDING CERTIFICATIONS Dec 1, 2010: Thirty-five of the 47 World Green Building Council (WGBC) member councils responding to our survey predicted that there will be at least a 100 percent increase in the number of green-certified buildings (under any rating system) within their countries over the next five years. Also, 37 responding councils forecast that there will be at least a doubling in the size of their memberships during the same period.
Councils participating in the survey, combined, represent more than half of WGBC's membership and serve countries whose populations total an estimated 3.14 billion people.

AT GREENBUILD, CODE COUNCIL RELEASES IGCC PUBLIC VERSION 2.0, EXPERTS OFFER PLETHORA OF OBSERVATIONS DURING SESSIONS Dec 1, 2010: In addition to the International Green Construction Code, experts attending the conference provided Green Building Insider details about "tomorrow's vertical cities," opportunities for high-rise residential building ventilation, and how the Owner's Project Requirements document, commissioning process, and Basis of Design document interrelate.