Green building

Energy Efficiency issues

May Vogel, in Portland, OR Small Developer Alliance facebook group, January 2021:

"Seems like most of you are tired of dealing with policy, but does that extend to building code? The Residential and Manufactured Structures Board of the Building Code Division is meeting Jan. 6 and there may be things you want to have input on. https://www.oregon.gov/bcd/boards/Documents/rmsb-20210106-agenda.pdf."

from that document, my attention was caught by a comment from Zero Energy Ready Oregon (ZERO) Coalition, so I commented (https://www.facebook.com/groups/174869229550173/permalink/1273765046327247/?comment_id=1273918709645214):

"I don't have much context about this, but was curious about this note:

"the ZERO Coalition proposed...altering the number of additional measures that are required using a sliding scale based on home size. The committee discussed the proposal and declined the change."

If I may be allowed a sort of naive and very basic question: in what ways if any under current or proposed ORSC / ORRC code might a builder achieve code compliance, all or in part, by demonstrating lower *actual* energy use, particularly by building smaller homes?

Also, relatedly, does Oregon building code consider embodied, or just operational energy use, of housing?

It looks like the ORSC measures discussed are fairly prescriptive, e.g. discussing types of HVAC and water heating; and like such codes normally do, they address efficiency as in outputs achieved per energy input, or per section of window or wall, or perhaps relative to total square footage. However is there a way it might be assessed per resident?"