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When, for example, the 42nd Ward’s Brendan Reilly asked for further explanation, an official from the city’s Department of Buildings told him: “Basically we’re trying to follow the IECC 2006, and basically we give our permit applicants two ways to apply, and one is prescriptive. And the prescriptive method basically follows this little chart, and this little chart basically tells you what you have to have your building systems at if you’re going to comply with the code, and if your building systems have these ratings you comply automatically. And these ratings are, for ceilings, it would be an R value of 49. For fenestration it would be a U-factor of 35….”
In fairness, though, city officials did patiently try to explain what all the jargon translated into: a revision of the city’s building code—based on two-year-old federal guidelines—that should reduce greenhouse gas emissions, save Chicago residents money, and (believe it or not) clarify requirements for developers and builders.
Aldermen moved from befuddlement to enthusiasm about what they thought they were hearing, especially after testimony from the leaders of several construction, real estate, and environmental groups. Not only did all of the speakers express support for the changes, but most pointed out that dozens of other cities and states have already implemented similar codes, and by next year the federal government is expected to create new guidelines that go even further.
