ARKANSAS
CURRENT CODE
Residential:
State specific code, equiva-
lent to 2003 IECC with
state amendments
Commercial:
2003 IECC, including
ASHREA/IESNA 90.1-
2001
DEMOGRAPHICS
Population: 2,855,390
Total Housing Units:
1,202,028
ENERGY
CONSUMPTION
Residential Sector:
225.1 Trillion BTU
Commercial Sector:
160.1 Trillion BTU
49% of the state’s natural
gas supply and 33% of the
state’s consumed electricity
is used for heating the
home.
Arkansas’ residential sector
relies most heavily on natu-
ral gas for energy.
Residential use of natural
gas in Arkansas costs up to
$11.18 per thousand cubic
ft.
CODE CHANGE CYCLE
No set schedule
BCAP 1850 M St. NW Suite 600 | Washington, DC 20036 | www.bcap-energy.org
Arkansas will receive $39 Million from the federal gov-
ernment if the state adopts the latest energy codes:
 IECC 2009 (International Energy Conservation
Code)
 ASHRAE 90.1 2007 (American Society of Heating
Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers)
Accumulated residential sector savings, 2009 to 2030,
would be:
 5.3 trillion Btu of energy
 370 thousand metric tons of CO2 (Equivalent to an-
nual greenhouse gases for 67,765 passenger vehicles)
 $38 million
 $38 million would pay the full undergraduate tuition
of current students at private universities in Arkan-
sas.
FINANCING OPPORTUNITIES:
In February 2009 the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act allocated
$3.1 billion for U.S. Department of Energy’s State Energy Program (SEP) to
assist states with building energy efficiency efforts. As one of the require-
ments to receive SEP grants, state governors must certify to DOE that their
state will implement energy codes of equal or greater stringency than the
latest national model codes (currently IECC 2009 and Standard 90.1-2007).
Thus, it is in the state’s best economic interests to adopt these standards
statewide and begin enjoying the benefits of an efficient building sector.
CODE ADOPTION AND CHANGE PROCESS: Legislative & Regulatory: When a
proposed code change is initiated by the Arkansas Energy Office (AEO), it is first
reviewed by the affected parties. They evaluate the proposed changes and work
with the AEO to refine them to satisfy all parties, if possible. All changes are then
submitted for public hearing. After approval at the public hearing, the proposed
change is acted upon by the AEO and by two legislative committees before it is
included in the next edition of the code.
For more information please consult the Building Codes Assistance Project (www.bcap-energy.org)
or Nick Zigelbaum (nzigelbaum@nrdc.org)
BCAP