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BCAP Code Cost Calculator

Energy Foundation 2009, Task 1a.2—Grant Number G-0901-10698

Summary
In 2008 BCAP authored a comprehensive study on the implementation costs of Residential Energy Codes throughout
the U.S. In order to empower code officials to use this study’s data and assumptions to readily calculate the costs of
achieving energy code compliance in their jurisdiction, BCAP set out to create a interactive code cost calculator that
could be used by local governments and officials.

Before creating this resource, however, BCAP sought the help of experts to review the original report’s assumptions.
BCAP sought input from individuals representing the U.S. Department of Energy, State Energy Offices, and Code Offi-
cials, and others. To thoroughly vet the cost calculator’s assumptions, in early 2010 BCAP provided a survey to a
group of code officials. After receiving the results, BCAP was able to adjust the calculator’s assumptions to provide
more realistic assumptions for local code officials who use the resource. Unlike the 2008 study, BCAP also added
commercial assumptions to the Code Cost Calculator. By doing so, the Code Cost Calculator is able to estimate im-
plementation costs for both residential and commercial costs. Formatted as an easily-accessible Excel spreadsheet
on BCAP’s OCEAN website, the calculator offers users to ability to download and use the file to estimate implemen-
tation costs of ensuring energy code compliance in their jurisdiction.

Using the Calculator

Local code officials will be able to easily adjust the Calculator’s values to reflect local priorities and needs. Factors
that can be adjusted include:

Number of Hours for Plan Review

Hours for Inspection

Number of Permits/Year

Employee Hours for Plan Review

Employee Hours for Inspection

Initial Compliance Percentage and additional hours for reinspection

Costs for code official training and outreach

The Code Cost Calculator can be downloaded on BCAP’s OCEAN site at the following link: http://bcap-ocean.org/
discussion/bcap-code-cost-calculator

1850 M St. NW Suite 600 | Washington, DC 20036 | www.bcap-ocean.org BCAP

 BCAP Code Cost Calculator
Project Background:

The BCAP Code Cost Calculator is being designed to allow state or local building regulatory agencies, policy
makers, or other stakeholders to easily and uniformly calculate the cost of conducting necessary plan review
and construction inspections to determine energy code compliance for commercial or residential buildings1.
We hope that by providing this calculator, state and municipal officials will be better able to budget sufficient
resources to support energy code enforcement in their communities and those interested in assessing the
cost/benefit of energy codes will have additional documentation to support those codes.

The calculator further refines work begun by BCAP in 2008. It should be noted that the calculator estimates
only the incremental cost needed to add energy code consideration to the scope of existing plan review and
inspection process, or improve the time spent on energy related plan review and/or inspections. It does not
estimate the existing costs for plan review and code inspection efforts to enforce life/health/safety building
codes.

How it Works:

Users can enter estimated values for a number of variables, such as hours spent per permit on plan review,
inspection time, non-compliance estimates, etc. Using these variables and other assumptions, the calculator
allows for a timely estimation of the cost associated with adding or enhancing energy code plan review and/or
inspections, code official training, and outreach efforts to the code inspections process.

As it is currently configured, the calculator can be used to estimate the costs of implementation for individual
residential and/or commercial structures, or the aggregate costs for addressing energy codes within a
municipality. All users have to do to customize results is change the variables listed above to correspond with
local building activity.

To download the full implementation cost calculator, please visit our website, http://bcap-
ocean.org/discussion/bcap-code-cost-calculator.

1
Residential is defined as attached and detached one and two family dwellings and townhouses as well as multi-family residential
buildings 3 stories or less above grade.

Building Codes Assistance Project

1850 M. St. NW Suite 600 Washington, DC 20036
202.530.2211 www.bcap-energy.org

A joint initiative of the Alliance to Save Energy, the Natural Resource Defense Council, and
the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy
How You Can Help - with the Calculator’s further improvement:

To help BCAP make the implementation cost calculator a better tool for users, please take a few minutes to
answer the following questions. Look for the final commercial and residential cost calculators on BCAP’s
OCEAN website http://bcap-ocean.org/discussion/bcap-code-cost-calculator. Thanks in advance for your
help!

1. What is the average amount of time you spend per building on plan review for:
a. Residential Energy?: ____ hours
b. Commercial Energy: ____ hours
2. What is the average amount of time you spend per establishment on inspections for:
a. Residential Energy: ____ hours
b. Commercial Energy: ____ hours
3. What is the initial non-compliance rate for the energy code? (E.G., you should respond 70% if 70%
of inspections fail.)
a. Residential Energy: ____%
b. Commercial Energy: ____ %
4. If a building is not compliant with the energy code, how much additional time does it take to
redo plan review/inspection?
a. Residential Energy Plan Review ____ hours
b. Residential Energy Inspection ____ hours
c. Commercial Energy Plan Review ____ hours
d. Commercial Energy Inspection ____ hours
5. How many Continuing Education Units (per year) are necessary for officials to stay current on the
latest energy code?
a. Residential ____ CEU credits
b. Commercial ____ CEU credits
c. Note required ______
6. Would increased outreach to contractors, builders or designers decrease time on energy code
inspections?
a. Yes ____
b. No ____
Building Codes Assistance Project
1850 M. St. NW Suite 600 Washington, DC 20036
202.530.2211 www.bcap-energy.org

A joint initiative of the Alliance to Save Energy, the Natural Resource Defense Council, and
the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy