The Florida Senate

553.902  Definitions.--For the purposes of this part:

¹(1)  "Exempted building" means:

(a)  Any building or portion thereof whose peak design rate of energy usage for all purposes is less than 1 watt (3.4 Btu per hour) per square foot of floor area for all purposes.

(b)  Any building which is neither heated nor cooled by a mechanical system designed to control or modify the indoor temperature and powered by electricity or fossil fuels.

(c)  Any building for which federal mandatory standards preempt state energy codes.

(d)  Any historical building as described in ²s. 267.021(6).

(e)  Any state building that must conform to the more stringent ³"Florida Energy Conservation Act of 1974" and amendments thereto.

(2)  "HVAC" means a system of heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning.

(3)  "Renovated building" means a residential or nonresidential building undergoing alteration that varies or changes insulation, HVAC systems, water heating systems, or exterior envelope conditions, provided the estimated cost of renovation exceeds 30 percent of the assessed value of the structure.

¹(4)  "Local enforcement agency" means the agency of local government which has the authority to make inspections of buildings and to enforce a code or codes which establish standards for construction, renovation, or occupancy of buildings. It includes any agency within the definition of s. 553.71(5).

(5)  "Exterior envelope physical characteristics" means the physical nature of those elements of a building which enclose conditioned spaces through which energy may be transferred to or from the exterior.

¹(6)  "Energy performance index" or "EPI" means a number describing the relative energy performance of a residential building as compared to a residential building designed to baseline energy performance levels for the envelope, HVAC, and water heating components. The number shall be calculated according to rules and procedures promulgated by the Department of Community Affairs.

(7)  "Energy performance level" means the indicator of the energy-related performance of a building, including, but not limited to, the levels of insulation, the amount and type of glass, and the HVAC and water heating system efficiencies.

History.--s. 1, ch. 77-128; s. 3, ch. 80-193; ss. 2, 5, ch. 81-226; s. 2, ch. 82-197; s. 82, ch. 83-55; s. 2, ch. 88-213; s. 94, ch. 2000-141.

¹Note.--Section 94, ch. 2000-141, deleted subsection (6) and amended subsections (1) and (4), effective July 1, 2001, to read:

(1)  "Exempted building" means:

(a)  Any building or portion thereof whose peak design rate of energy usage for all purposes is less than 1 watt (3.4 Btu per hour) per square foot of floor area for all purposes.

(b)  Any building which is neither heated nor cooled by a mechanical system designed to control or modify the indoor temperature and powered by electricity or fossil fuels.

(c)  Any building for which federal mandatory standards preempt state energy codes.

(d)  Any historical building as described in ²s. 267.021(6).


The Florida Building Commission may recommend to the Legislature additional types of buildings which should be exempted from compliance with the Florida Energy Efficiency Code for Building Construction.

(4)  "Local enforcement agency" means the agency of local government which has the authority to make inspections of buildings and to enforce the Florida Building Code. It includes any agency within the definition of s. 553.71(5).

²Note.--Redesignated as s. 267.021(3) by s. 43, ch. 86-163.

³Note.--The reference may be to the Florida Energy Conservation in Building Act of 1974, ch. 74-187.