By John Boling
Early this year, IIBEC’s service flagged a bill in Tennessee, HB 801/SB 11954, specifying that the International Energy Conservation Code’s (IECC) requirements for roof solar reflectance and thermal emittance for low-sloped roofs do not apply in this state. Working with the IIBEC Mid-South Chapter, IIBEC researched the issue, determined it was problematic, and jumped into action.
The issue arose due to a change in the ASHRAE 169-2020 climate zone maps that show which Tennessee counties are in climate zone 3 or zone 4. Based on locally collected weather data, 20 counties were due to be shifted from zone 4 to zone 3 and would come under the IECC requirements once the state adopts the 2021 version of the code. Fourteen counties were already included in zone 3, and the remaining 62 counties would stay in zone 4.
IIBEC is a member of the International Code Council and a participant in the ASHRAE standards development process. As our letter to the legislative panel noted, code requirements must be cost-effective to guard against burdensome, feel-good, or ill-advised requirements.
Unfortunately, in this case misinformation carried the day, and the bills advanced in both chambers. Our letters to the full House and Senate again tried to correct the record by pointing out six reasons why legislators should oppose the bills. While the letters did help generate some opposition, the bills passed. The final version was transmitted to the governor, who signed it on April 3, 2025.
IIBEC did not stop the bill this time, but we can take solace in the fact that the bill sponsor, when speaking about his bill in committee, tried to diffuse the issues identified in the letter. He did this because he understood that IIBEC’s points were valid. We may have come up short, but as the actions of our opposition validate, we are on the right track.
IIBEC Executive Vice President and CEO Brian Pallasch, reflecting on our efforts, stated, “Kudos to Nick Warndorf, RRO, IIBEC Mid-South Chapter president, and Joshua Hankins, RRO, chapter vice president, for their leadership on this issue. Once we determined the policy implications of the bill, they partnered with us to oppose the bill.”
