The Affordability Breakout Group operates under the Advisory Council on Harmonized Construction Codes (ACHCC). Its mandate is to recommend ways national building codes can better address affordability, clarify impact analysis, and hold committees accountable for upholding affordability principles. CHBA is leading this breakout group as breakout groups under the ACHCC are not supported by NRC.

The group began by setting its goal: to develop recommendations for the advisory council on how building codes can better address affordability. CHBA introduced a seed document that was based on the presentation given to the ACHCC on Jun 6th . Group discussions highlighted rising construction costs and the need for codes to consider both short- and long-term impacts, such as operational savings for homeowners. Members noted that it was important that the recommendation highlight that some affordability factors are outside the scope of codes. The group agreed to start by examining the existing, recently revised, impact analysis guidelines and consider updates to try get closer to whole-house or whole-society affordability impact than single change costing. Action items included gathering relevant documents, clarifying the scope of the work, and recruiting more participants for more diverse perspectives.

For further details, contact Frank Lohmann