Unified Action – May 2011 – Keep the 2009 NM Energy Code in Place

Progressive Voter AllianceUnified Action

Sponsored by Conservation Voters New Mexico
For more information, send email to Molly at molly@cvnm.org

Upon completion of this action, please send an “I did it!” to
unifiedaction@pva-nm.org.

What We Are Asking

Send a letter* to the newly appointed commissioners of the Construction Industries Division (CID) of the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department, and urge them to keep the 2009 NM Energy Conservation Code in place.

*The CID is not accepting public comment electronically, so email your comments to Molly Brook at Conservation Voters New Mexico. Molly will print and hand deliver the messages to the CID office on June 2. Thank you, Molly!

Sample Letter

The following is a sample letter that you can adapt. Please include your snail mail address in your letter.

Construction Industries Division
2550 Cerrillos Road
PO Box 25101
Santa Fe, NM 87504-5101Re: Keep the 2009 NM Energy Conservation CodeDear Construction Industries Commissioners,

Please keep the 2009 NM Energy Conservation Code in place.

[Include any or all of the following points along with your personal point of view.]

I feel that the “2009 NM Energy Conservation Code” is a common sense, cost-effective code.

It has a wide and diverse range of support, due to the fact that it was developed by builders, code officials, product suppliers, and efficiency advocates during a year-long process.

We will benefit significantly from the implementation of this code because it will achieve nearly a 20% increase in energy efficiency above and beyond prior codes.

At a time when energy costs are increasing, homeowners and building users can’t afford to NOT save money on their monthly utility bills.

My community will benefit from the reduced demand for energy that will substantially reduce power plant emissions and reduce finite resource use.

The new code will increase demand for energy efficiency products in New Mexico, thereby adding to our growing clean energy jobs and energy efficiency product development activities.

The Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) estimates new homeowners in New Mexico will save more than $66 million dollars over a ten-year period.
For the average homeowner, the increase in monthly mortgage payments due to the first cost of energy-saving measures is only $12 and the decrease in energy costs per month is over $26. The energy savings will continue over the 50+ year life of a new home.

All New Mexicans will benefit from the reduced  demand for energy that will substantially reduce power plant emissions and reduce finite resource use.

Sincerely,

[your name and snail mail address]

The Issue

The 2009 NM Energy Conservation Code is a common sense, cost-effective code developed by builders, code officials, product suppliers, and efficiency advocates during a year-long process. The majority of the sections of the code were adopted by the Construction Industries Commission in July 2010, and the final two sections of the commercial code were adopted in September 2010. This process included weekly meetings open to the public for over a year, a series of public hearings around the state, and the gathering of written public comment. Technical, energy-use, and economic analyses were completed for each section of the code.

New Mexicans stand to benefit significantly from the swift implementation of this adopted code, which will achieve an increase of almost 20 percent in energy efficiency compared to the performance of buildings that meet the current 2006 New Mexico Energy Conservation Code.

The current situation? The commissioners of the Construction Industries Division (CID) of the State Regulation and Licensing department are preparing to roll back these newly installed construction codes that improve building energy efficiency.

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