CARICOM Regional Energy Efficiency Building Code (CREEBC) Project
The CARICOM Regional Energy Efficiency Building Code (CREEBC), was a collaboration between CROSQ, the CARICOM Energy Unit, the International Code Council (ICC) and ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers). It covered both commercial and residential construction, with a focus on ensuring energy efficiency within those types of buildings.
While the CREEBC has referenced the International Energy Conservation Code 2018 (IECC 2018) as a guide, the regional code was developed within CARICOM through funding by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ). It was passed by the CARICOM Council for Trade and Economic Development in 2018 and is currently being adopted into national legislation by a number of CARICOM Member States.
During its development, Chairman of the Regional Project Team which headed the process, Mr. Norbert Churchill, noted the urgent need for such a code given the vulnerability of the region to natural disasters. He noted the importance of standards, codes and policies to shoring up the region’s resilience to such catastrophic incidents.
Work is still continuing to adopt and pilot the Code in the Caribbean, led by the CARICOM Energy Unit.