The Impact of Residential Building Codes on Energy Consumption in Georgetown, Texas

Abstract

This thesis addresses the construction industry and the impact residential building codes have on energy consumption on homes in Georgetown, Texas. This study explores the subject of energy conservation through the analysis of four separate residential building codes adopted by The City of Georgetown. This study investigates each separate building code through the analysis of electrical billing data for single family homes. This research is conducted with the intent to identify and quantify the impact residential building codes have on electrical energy consumption. A list of 400 homes was first broken into categories based on size and date of construction using the Williamson Central Appraisal District and www.realtor.com. The electrical data was then obtained from Georgetown Utility Systems for each home. Analysis of the data revealed significant energy savings, with the largest savings being 35%.