Breckenridge sustainability and building staff members have formally started stakeholder outreach as they embark on a monthslong process to nail down building codes before a mandated rollout set for the fall.

The town adopts new building codes every six years and goes through a similar process. This one differs in that a $125,000 grant — recently acquired from the Colorado Energy Office for the process — sets a hard implementation deadline of Oct. 28. Around $75,000 will go toward a scholarship program for contractor education and equipment to better help people adhere to the new code.

Currently, the town’s codes are taken from a 2018 iteration of the International Energy Conservation Code that officials molded to fit the needs of the area. The town plans to adopt the 2024 iteration of the International Energy Conservation Code and similarly make amendments, taking into account unique aspects of the area’s climate like altitude and colder temperatures.

An example of pertinent building codes subject to change are those regarding insulation in ceilings, walls and floors, Breckenridge’s chief building officer Rick Fout said. A continuing theme in the International Energy Conservation Code is escalating requirements for higher quality insulation, which is more energy efficient largely because it lessens the need for heat or air conditioning, he said. 

The town held a preliminary stakeholder meeting March 13 for those in the building industry who will be required to comply with the codes. At a March 18 Planning Commission meeting, council members noted the meeting was well attended, including about 70 community members and industry professionals. Chair Ethan Guerra said he “hadn’t seen anything quite like” the attendance at the stakeholder meeting. 

Summit County Building Association’s executive officer Valerie Connelly said the feedback she heard from the association’s members in attendance was that the town’s approach to adopt new codes is “pragmatic and solution-focused.” 

Mike Costello with New West Partners Builders and Developers said the new code proposed at the March 13 meeting seems as though it would simplify the process of following energy codes. He said previously there were two different compliance pathways builders could choose from, one provided by the Department of Energy Zero Energy Ready Home Program and the other by the International Energy Conservation Code Council. He said this could get confusing and convoluted. 

“This seems to take some of the guesswork out of it and creates a plan that we can follow,” he said. 

Fout said the 2024 International Energy Conservation Code is robust enough to match the town’s efforts to have a more robust code than the previous iterations, ultimately streamlining what builders have to follow. 

Costello said a proposed change that raised some eyebrows at the meeting was a requirement to construct homes to be “energy ready.” This means building homes in a manner where they are prepared to be all-electric by equipping them with the necessary infrastructure.

“It would entail a larger electrical panel, and it would, in theory, have the conduit ready so the owners could switch to an all-electric home in the future,” he said. 

He said this will be more costly for builders. He added he’s not overly optimistic about the feasibility of all electric homes at Breckenridge’s high altitude.

“The technology right now to build a home that’s 100% electric at 10,000 feet is in question, in my mind,” he said.

Outside of an October deadline for the adoption of new codes, another stipulation of the grant is the town commits to also adopting the state’s Model Low Energy and Carbon Code by mid-2027. This code is still being worked on and also consists of the 2024 International Energy Conservation Code, making it akin to the codes changes Breckenridge is working on.

Breckenridge’s sustainability manager Jessie Burley said once the town adopts that as its code, it can make local amendments to make the code more stringent.

While this is the most immediate code the town will tackle, it also plans to work on adopting other revamped international codes like the International Fire Code and International Plumbing Code, Fout said.

Stakeholder meetings are tentatively scheduled for April, May, June, July and two in August. Exact dates have not yet been determined.