Bredesen pushes for minimum residential building codes in Tennessee

via KnoxNews...

Gov. Phil Bredesen on Tuesday called on lawmakers to enact minimum residential building codes in Tennessee to help encourage better energy efficiency.

The building code measure is part of a larger proposal by the Democratic governor to improve the state's clean energy standards and help reduce the state's per capita electricity consumption, which is among the country's highest.

Other elements of Bredesen's proposal include requiring increased energy efficiency in state buildings and vehicles and expanding tax incentives for job creation in the green energy field.

"The good thing about a lot of these energy issues is there might be a little cost up front but you very quickly recoup it," Bredesen said after the announcement.

Bredesen said he wants to overhaul equipment ranging from lighting controls to heating and cooling systems in state agencies that are housed in more than 30 million square feet of building space.

The five-year program could cost "tens of millions of dollars," but the governor proposed issuing bonds to pay for the upgrades and paying for the debt service with energy savings.

"You just look at the life cycle cost of something, don't just consider what it costs to buy it, also consider what it costs you to operate it," Bredesen said.

Senate Finance Chairman Randy McNally, an Oak Ridge Republican who expressed concern about increased state indebtedness from bonds, said he doesn't have any immediate worries about the energy efficiency bond proposal.

"We'll look at it and everything, but I think it makes sense," he said.