Advocate and Lobby for Beneficial Policies and Regulations

Our Goal: Lead industry companies to speak out against harmful policies and advocate for beneficial policies to create a level playing field and spur economic development, workforce development and environmental benefits for our industry, its workers and customers.

NCBPA’s 2020 Policy Agenda

Activities Underway

NCBPA leads efforts to advocate and lobby for an improved playing field in North Carolina’s crowded landscape of policy, legislative and regulatory changes.  Join NCBPA to support out efforts to create a better business environment for your company, its staff and your employees well into the future.  

NCBPA staff, members and partners are already hard at work on a wealth of activities related to this strategic initiative.  Here are some of the highlights found in our new 2020 Strategic Plan:

State Policies & Regulations:

1. Continue efforts to enable 2019’s HB330 to expand performance contracting opportunities in state-owned buildings.
2. Develop legislation that improves the policies and procedures of how high performance homes and buildings are appraised and valued.
3. Define reasonable amendments to the state’s Commercial and Industrial energy efficiency opt-out allowance.
4. Prioritize and act on recommendations from the 2019 Energy Efficiency Roadmap and the 2019 Clean Energy Plan.
5. Continue efforts to enable 2017’s SB493 to establish state approval or Commercial PACE Financing.
6. Research possibility of state tax credit/rebate for very high energy efficient homes and buildings that set strong examples for NC.

Utility Policies & Regulations:

1. Expand Duke Energy’s Residential New Construction Program to the Duke Energy Carolinas territory.
2. Continue to work with Duke Energy to create new and improve existing non-residential energy efficiency incentive programs.
3. Continue efforts to define pathways through the NC Utilities Commission or Legislature regarding how North Carolina can establish an Energy Efficiency Resource Standard (EERS) or statewide target that improves energy efficiency’s role in the state’s clean energy goals and minimum requirements for regulated utilities.

Legislation Related to Code:

1. Add an Energy seat to the NC Building Code Council.
2. Develop a pathway for modifying NC’s energy code exemptions for new and existing buildings of types Factory, Storage and Utility.
3. Define legislation to create a 90-day review for legislative action on building and energy code using 2019’s HB675 cost-benefit analysis legislation as an example.
4. Develop pathways to repeal energy code exemptions for major retrofits and residential garage requirements.
5. Enable non-energy benefits in regulated utility energy efficiency programs through updates to building code or through legislation.

In addition to these priorities, NCBPA is also working on these policy activities:

1. Enabling a health, safety and well-being review for code changes that originate from the legislature.
2. Modifying the state’s commercial and industrial energy efficiency opt-out allowance.
3. Setting new energy efficiency goals for all of North Carolina’s utilities, including Duke Energy.
4. Modernizing how regulated utilities account for energy efficiency in their cost effectiveness testing protocols.
5. NCBPA supports federal legislation known as H.R. 1315 “Blue Collar to Green Collar Jobs Development Act of 2019” that would provide funding, training and education opportunities that support our workforce.

Support This Work By

1. Educate legislators and stakeholders on our issues
2. Participate in policy meetings and events
3. Fund NCBPA’s research, advocacy and lobbying efforts

NCBPA provides member companies with a wealth of opportunities to participate in opportunities that improve our industry’s policy and legislation environment.  They include:

Vote for Elected Officials that Support our Industry

Given the importance of local and state politics to our members and the fact that every vote truly does make a difference, elections represent an infrequent but important opportunity for our industry to elect friendly candidates to public office at the local, state and national levels.

NCBPA maintains a member-led Policy & Legislation Committee tasked with identifying candidates and incumbents that support our industry.  An analysis of candidate support related solely to our industry will be provided to members beginning in 2018.  Contact us to get involved in these efforts.

In addition to voting in local elections, member professionals can make a big difference in the outcome of important races by directly participating in individual campaigns. This could include making a financial contribution, putting up yard signs, asking your peers to vote for pro-industry candidates, or hosting fundraisers for industry-friendly candidates running in your district.

Participate in Face-to-Face Meetings with Elected Officials

Throughout the year, NCBPA Staff led by principal lobbyist Ryan Miller and members of the Policy & Legislation Committee hold regular meetings with local, state and federal elected officials to discuss issues important to the our association and industry. Having member professionals attend these meetings is an extremely effective way to get our message across. That is because you are their constituents, and you have the unique ability to tell these officials exactly how a given policy affects you and others in the industry.

Testify Before a Council or Board

Hearings are an opportunity to assert our positions for the public record when policy changes are being considered. In particular, NCBPA staff and members have become increasingly involved in building and energy code development over the past several years, and have also begun presenting to state commissions, committees and councils representing energy efficiency policy, utility regulation and more.  The willingness of members to attend these public hearings from time to time and provide testimony on key industry issues is important to influencing the outcomes of policy debates.

Write a Letter to the Editor of Your Local Newspaper

Support local, state and national industry advocacy efforts by working with NCBPA to contribute Op-Eds in local media outlets across the state.  Leverage your experience, voice and local connections to gain attention and support for policy, legislative and regulatory issues impacting our industry.  A letter to the editor is an important tool we can use to help educate the public on our issues. Additionally, insofar as elected officials read letters to the editor, they can help influence policy decisions on issues important to the home building industry.

Key Events in 2020

1. Quarterly Building Code Council meetings
2. Bi-monthly Duke Energy Collaborative meetings
3. 2020 short legislative session
4. NCBPA’s 2020 Conference educational sessions

Additional Information

Click on a link below for more information on NCBPA’s work on these topics:

Implementation of North Carolina’s New Energy Efficiency Roadmap and Clean Energy Plan

NCBPA staff, members and partners were actively involved in the development of two new state resources created in 2019.  The Energy Efficiency Roadmap project developed policy, market, utility and other recommendations that will improve the state’s effective usage of energy efficiency in all types of buildings.  The Clean Energy Plan was initiated by an Executive Order by Gov. Cooper and provides a wealth of recommendations and case studies on continuing to grow North Carolina’s clean energy industry.  Click here for more information on these topics.

Commercial and Industrial Building Energy Efficiency Policies

NCBPA is leading efforts to improve policies impacting the significant energy usage of commercial and industrial buildings across our state.  Many of the largest buildings owned and operated by up to 1,000 individual companies participate in an energy efficiency opt-out that allows them to avoid participating in energy efficiency projects.  Click here to learn more about this work.

Performance Contracting in State-Owned Buildings

For several years, NCBPA has worked with member Energy Services Companies (ESCOs) to improve market conditions, state and local policies for these businesses that provide energy services performance contracting (ESPC) services to state-owned buildings.  Click here for more information on this important work.

Establishing an “Energy Efficiency First” Strategy

On March 23rd of 2018, NCBPA submitted letters to the state’s Energy Policy Council and the Governor’s office with a variety of recommendations for increasing North Carolina’s strategic use of energy efficiency.  The “Energy Efficiency First Strategy” recommends for the state to formally adopt energy efficiency as North Carolina’s priority method for addressing current and future energy needs.  Read more about it here.

Commercial PACE Financing

NCBPA is leading efforts to bring Property Assessed Capital Expenditures (PACE) Financing to North Carolina in 2019 through new legislation the association introduced in 2017.  Read more about this work here including how your company can participate and support the association’s work.