Welcome to week 2 of PBA's blog series on the coming updates to the Michigan Energy Code! Click here if you missed last week's post, but the short version: the Michigan Commercial Energy Code updates to ASHRAE 90.1-2019 on April 22, 2025.
One of the biggest changes coming to 90.1 is how you demonstrate compliance. It's one thing to have a code, but another thing to actually follow the code. We're all well acquainted with building inspectors, mechanical inspectors, plumbing inspectors, and the like, but for many years the enforcement of the energy codes by the various Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJs) has been generally spotty or entirely non-present.
The US Department of Energy identified that one of the most straightforward steps in achieving better building performance was actually ensuring the existing energy codes were being followed. To this end, in 2023 the DOE announced the funding of the Energy Code Official - Training & Education Collaborative (ECO-TEC). Among the partners in this $225 million venture are ASHRAE and LARA - the State of Michigan agency responsible for adopting new energy codes. Michigan is one of only four states that is a full partner in ECO-TEC, and is investing in educating code officials throughout the state. You can learn more about ECO-TEC at this link. https://www.ashrae.org/about/news/2023/ashrae-awarded-2-85-million-grant-for-energy-code-training-collaborative
So, with building inspectors trained to enforce energy codes, what will they be looking for specifically? The easiest method to demonstrate energy code compliance has long been COMcheck, a free piece of software written by the US Department of Energy. Completing a COMcheck is very straightforward - simply provide basic information about your building, enter specific energy consumption for things like fans and light, and work through a checklist where you certify that you've followed various energy efficiency requirements. Once completed, COMcheck will then output a report that the design professional can seal and submit to the building official.
We expect inspectors to be increasingly requesting COMcheck reports in the coming years - as well they should! That the inspectors can ask for the COMcheck isn't new - what's new is that COMcheck is going 100% online.
COMcheck was originally a desktop-only software, and in recent years added COMcheck Web to eliminate the need to install software on your computer and keep it updated. DOE is phasing out the desktop version of COMcheck, and moving entirely to COMcheck web. ASHRAE 90.1-2019 will not be available at all on COMcheck desktop, so projects in Michigan will be required to use COMcheck web starting in April. COMcheck Web is free to use.
An important note about COMcheck web is that there are two versions: old COMcheck Web and new COMcheck Web. PBA recommends you use the newer version of COMcheck Web only. The newer version allows projects to be shared digitally between designers - no more working to move COMcheck files between architects, mechanical engineers, and electrical engineers! With new COMcheck Web, all three can work in parallel. This parallel workflow will become especially helpful when the State next updates the commercial energy code in 3-6 years. There are some things coming in future energy codes that will be really difficult to coordinate unless you're using a collaborative cloud-hosted tool like COMcheck Web.
In next week's blog, we'll talk about what the new ASHRAE 90.1-2019-based Michigan Energy Code means for insulation thicknesses, window performance, and other thermal enclosure items.
