Upcoming from the ICC Learning Center: Institutes, training, seminars, webinars, etc.

Online learning is available from the ICC Learning Center. Find course listings you’d like to attend in the Learning Center using the Search function. Single-day training events are an opportunity to focus on topics to ensure your code knowledge stays up to date, with some seminars offering a Virtual Classroom option so you can participate in the event from any location with an internet connection:

• January 9 – 2018 IBC® Means of Egress.
• January 13 – Background and Overview (New Mass Timber).
• January 22 – Getting the Most of the IPMC®.
• January 23 – 2018 IBC Significant Changes.
• February 6 – 2018 IPC Essentials.
• February 12 – 2019 CRC Essentials.
• February 13 – 2019 CBC Essentials.
• February 20 – 2015 IRC® Essentials.
• February 24 –  Heights and Areas and Construction Fire Safety (New Mass Timber).
• March 5 – Legal Aspects of Code Administration.
• March 23 – Fire Safety (New Mass Timber).
• April 8 – Fire and Connection Design and Special Inspection (New Mass Timber).
• June 4 – 2018 IECC® Essentials.
• August 13 – Essential Skills for Rising Leaders.
• August 18 – Effective Communication.
• September 10 – Formulating an Effective Code Enforcement Program. 
• November 18 – Essential Skills for Rising Leaders.

The following is the updated list of ICC Institutes and other training opportunities across the nation, many of which offer virtual options for those who cannot travel. Find course listings you’d like to attend in the Learning Center using the Search function:

• January 14 at Country Club Hills, Ill., Virtual,Applying the Codes to Cannabis Facilities. 
• January 14-16 in Brea, Calif., Principles of Building Safety Institute.
• January 22 at Salt Lake City, Utah, 2018 IPC®, IMC® / IFGC® Significant Changes. 
• January 27-30 at Oakland, Calif., Code Official Institute.
• February 3-7 at Chaska, Minn., The Upper Great Plains Region III Educational Institute.
• February 4 at Country Club Hills., Ill., 2018 IBC and IFC® Fire Protection Systems.
• February 13 at Brea, Calif., Essential Skills for Rising Leaders.
• February 24-26 at Myrtle Beach, S.C., Fire & Life Safety Institute.
• February 27 at Brea, Calif., 2015 IBC Special Topics – Day 1.
• February 28 at Brea, Calif., 2015 IBC Special Topics – Day 2.
• March 5 at Brea, Calif.,2018 IWUIC® Overview.
• March 9–13 at Las Vegas, EduCode 2020.
• March 18-19 at Atlanta, Ga., and Virtual, Permit Tech Institute.
• March 24 at Country Club Hills, Ill., Additional Training on Mass Timber Construction includes the Mass Timber Building and the IBC® Seminar.
• March 30-April 3, Austin, Texas, 2015 Residential Building Inspection Institute.
• June 3 at Country Club Hills, Ill., Essential Skills for Rising Leaders.
• June 24 at Oakland, Calif., Virtual, 2019 CRC Essentials. 
• June 25 at Oakland, Calif., Virtual 2019 CBC Essentials.
• August 13 at Brea, Calif., Virtual,2019 CRC Essentials. 
• August 14 at Brea, Calif., Virtual, 2019 CBC Essentials.
• August 19 at Oakland, Calif.,Complaint Management from Start to Finish.

Certification Test Academies feature interactive and question-based review for the exam. Students will receive a voucher to take the exam at a later date. Upcoming opportunities:

• Available daily online, 2015 Permit Technician 14 Study Guide.
• Available daily online, IRC® Online Study Guide for Residential Building Inspectors B1.

The International Code Council and the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) developed a new certification designation, the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC)/Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Compliance Specialist. This certification combines the energy code knowledge of code officials with the energy efficiency knowledge of HERS Raters to identify experts in energy plan review and inspection. The credential leverages the strengths of both organizations to increase the number of qualified individuals available for evaluating energy code compliance and home energy performance. The IECC/HERS Compliance Specialist designation verifies competence in energy performance measurement and energy code proficiency. These certified specialists can supplement the work of jurisdictions facing resource constraints that affect their ability to conduct the necessary reviews. IECC/HERS Compliance Specialists may now be used for both code compliance and energy performance rating services. Read more about this innovative program here.

Virtually every state of our nation experiences some variety of windstorm, and from 1980 to 2017, these natural disasters have resulted in over 5,000 fatalities and $1 trillion in economic losses. That’s why recent testimony from ICC and stake holders before the U.S. House of Representatives’ Subcommittees on Research and Technology and Environment stressed support for the reauthorization of the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program (NWIRP). The program is implemented through a coordinated effort between federal agencies, academia, and private sector organizations such as the International Code Council. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and National Science Foundation are all participants. The program supports the development, adoption and enforcement of building codes and other mitigation strategies. “Building codes have been recognized as a highly cost-effective hazard mitigation measure,” Ryan Colker, ICC Vice President of Innovation and Executive Director of the Alliance for National and Community Resilience (ANCR). “We stand ready to support this Committee and the NWIRP agencies in achieving shared goals of better understanding windstorms and assessing and reducing their impacts.” The Congressionally-established National Institute of Building Sciences found that adopting the 2018 International Building Code and International Residential Code, which govern commercial and residential construction and renovations, provided $10 in mitigation benefits against hurricane winds for every $1 invested. Click here to read the full story

The U.S. Congress recently passed and President Donald Trump signed into law two spending packages for fiscal year 2020, including an appropriations agreement which funds several programs that benefit the building safety industry and which the International Code Council supported through engagement with lawmakers. They include:

• A $100 million increase to $3.4 billion total for the Community Development Block Grant Program, which funds code adoption and enforcement activities at the state and local levels.
• A $167 million increase in funding for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).  The Institute’s Science and Technical Research and Services received a $29.5 million boost over current levels. NIST’s disaster resilience grants were preserved and current funding levels will allow NIST’s premise plumbing research to continue.
• An $80 million increase in FEMA preparedness grants to $2.9 billion, including a $35 million increase to $560 million for the State Homeland Security Grant Program and a $5 million increase to $355 million for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program, staffing for an adequate Fire & Emergency Response Grant Program, and Emergency Management Performance Grant Program, respectively.
• A $20 million increase to $1.26 billion for Perkins career and technical education state grants.
• A $1.6 million increase to $4.5 million for WaterSense, which the International Green Construction Code leverages and which is supported by both the International Accreditation Service and ICC Evaluation Service products.
• A $3 million increase to $10 million for the Department of Energy’s Building Energy Codes Program, which supports the development and implementation of the IECC.

The appropriations legislation also extends from December 31, 2017, to December 31, 2020, the 45L tax credit for new homes that are 50 percent more efficient than the 2006 IECC and, over the same period, the 179D tax deduction for efficiency improvements to commercial buildings. The Code Council looks forward to continuing to work with the federal government, our members and our partners to aid in efforts to improve building safety and resilience. To read the FEMA spending agreement, click here. The remaining spending bills may be accessed here, and the tax provisions, here.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced the 2018 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) will improve energy efficiency in residential buildings. In support of this determination, DOE conducted technical analysis evaluating the impacts of the updated code relative to the previous 2015 edition. DOE estimates national savings of approximately:

• 1.97 percent energy cost savings
• 1.91 percent source energy savings
• 1.68 percent site energy savings

Additional related information is available at Regulations.gov. Upon publication of an affirmative determination, states are required to certify that they have reviewed the provisions of their residential building code regarding energy efficiency, and made a determination as to whether it is appropriate for them to revise their code to meet or exceed the updated edition of the IECC. Click here for a Building Safety Journal news feature on the IECC authored by Michelle Britt, ICC Director of Energy Programs.