Energy Standards for Public Buildings

Note: As of July 2023, Missouri state facilities under construction or renovation, and commercial buildings purchased or leased by state agencies, must comply with the 2015 IECC, pursuant to the Section 8.812 requirement that standards be at least as stringent as the latest version of the IECC.

Energy Conservation Goals

In April 2009 Missouri’s Governor issued Executive Order No. 09-18, requiring all state agencies whose building management falls under the Office of Administration to adopt policies designed to reduce energy consumption by 2% each year for the next 10 years.

Building Construction and Renovation Requirements

Life-Cycle Analysis

Life-cycle cost analysis is required for all new construction of state buildings and substantial renovations of existing state buildings when major energy systems are involved. Substantial renovations involve projects that will affect at least 50% of the building’s square footage or cost at least 50% of its market value.

The analysis must take into account the initial construction costs and the proposed energy consumption, operation, and maintenance costs over a 25-year time horizon. The final design must have the lowest life-cycle cost possible while still meeting the building’s space and use requirements. The analysis is required to examine all commercially available technology, including renewable energy sources, earth-sheltered construction, systems to recover and use waste heat, thermal storage heat pump systems, ambient thermal energy, district heating and cooling systems, devices to reduce water consumption, and plumbing systems to recover gray water for reuse. Plans must be reviewed by the Director of the Division of Design and Construction within the Missouri Office of Administration.

Minimum Energy Codes

In 2008 the state updated its energy code for state construction and renovations of public buildings larger than 5,000 square feet. By January 1, 2009, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is required to establish minimum energy efficiency standards for state buildings at least as stringent as the 2006 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), or the latest version. The standards apply equally to both state-leased and state-owned buildings for which the building design process or the lease begins after July 1, 2009. The Commissioner of the Office of Administration may grant waivers to these requirements if compliance is expected to exceed the energy cost gained or if the requirement would compromise safety, or when the cost of compliance is expected to exceed the projected energy cost savings gained. The standards must match the latest version of the IECC, so they are changed when the IECC is updated.

Under Executive Order No. 09-18, new construction projects undertaken by covered agencies are required to use energy efficiency standards at least as stringent as the most recent version of the IECC.

Building Retrofits and Energy Use Benchmarking

In 2012, Missouri was awarded an SEP Competitive Grant—“Reinvigorating  Missouri’s State Facilities Energy Conservation Program”—which includes whole building retrofits to achieve 20% or greater energy savings in at least half of the Office of Administration’s (OA) state-owned and operated buildings. The OA will also conduct a review of existing facilities under its jurisdiction. Using OA’s Missouri State Energy Portal and Utility Dashboard, energy consumption across OA’s buildings was benchmarked in 2008 to track energy reduction and cost savings going forward. The Division of Energy is recording energy use data from 75 state buildings in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Portfolio Manager over the grant (2012-2015).