In an effort to improve energy efficiency for commercial buildings, ASHRAE, IES, ANSI, and the DOE have been working diligently to increase the stringency of state energy codes. Today, most states have accepted a version of ASHRAE/ANSI 90.1 as the basis for their energy codes for all but low-rise residential buildings.
Beginning over 10 years ago, a series of aggressive goals were set in place that included a 30% decrease in new building energy use between the 2004 and 2010 versions of the standard. This was successfully accomplished in stages starting with improvements in the 2007 release (around 7%) and achieving the 30% goal in the 2010 release. The 2013 version of the standard is now complete and shows roughly another 8% improvement. While states have some leeway to set their own energy codes, they are being strongly encouraged by the DOE to utilize the latest 90.1 2010 as the baseline. To date, about 20% of the states have moved to 90.1 2010, and it is projected that over half will adopt the new code by the end of 2015. For more details on the plans state by state, see www.energycodes.gov.