Boone County Planning and Zoning will vote on 2018 building codes that require builders to meet yet-to-be-implemented, eco-friendly requirements in the construction process. If approved, building and purchase costs for homes in Boone County are projected to increase. Whether or not the initiative is financially worthwhile has yet to be determined by local constituents. 

The discussion that is currently taking place at the county level involves improving and adopting the 2018 International Energy Code in the proposed 2018 International Building Code.The energy efficient building code has already begun to take effect in the city of Columbia in recent years, says Osage Group of the Missouri Chapter of the Sierra Club Committee Chair, Carolyn Amparan. 

The Sierra Club is an environmental advocacy group that has notably encouraged the county to expand these building codes beyond Columbia and into the surrounding county. The goal behind this initiative is to increase energy conservation within commercial and residential buildings in Boone County. 

Though the speculated $10,000 increase in building costs is initially staggering, Amparan stresses the benefits of this change will pay off financially in the long run. She noted these improvements will make homes more affordable over their lifetime, despite initially high costs. Improvements in insulation,ductwork and windows may lessen leakage and heat loss within homes, reducing overall utility costs. 

~ Read the rest in today’s Journal ~

By Sofi Zeman