Building Requirements for State-Funded Buildings

Signed in 2011, Executive Order 2011-1 requires that new construction or renovations in excess of 25,000 square feet meet or exceed current IECC energy code. The order established a goal of reducing fossil-fuel use in state facilities by 25 percent over 2005 levels by 2025. This was superseded by Executive Order 2016-03, which set updated goals of reducing fossil fuel use at state-owned facilities by 30 percent by 2020, 40 percent by 2025 and 50 percent by 2030, compared to a 2005 baseline. New Hampshire enacted legislation (S.B. 409) in July 2010 stipulating that major construction and maintenance projects that receive state funding must meet a high-performance energy and design standard determined by the Department of Environmental Services and the Department of Administrative Services, in consultation with the Division of Historic Resources and the state's community college system. The standard, effective July 1, 2011, specifies that the building or structure can recoup the incremental costs of this requirement through reduced energy costs over 10 years. This requirement does not apply to buildings or structures less than 25,000 square feet; buildings and structures that do not consume energy for heating, ventilating, or air conditioning; renovations or modifications estimated to cost less than $1 million; temporary structures; certain public school facilities; the state's university system; projects employing new, innovative, or experimental energy-efficient technology that might not recoup their incremental costs within 10 years; or historic buildings.