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Durham County adopted a resolution in October 2008 that requires new non-school public buildings and facilities to meet high-performance standards. New construction of public buildings and facilities greater than 10,000 square feet must achieve a minimum rating of LEED* Gold or any comparable performance criteria. Buildings between 4,000 and up to 10,000 square feet must achieve a minimum rating of LEED Silver or any comparable performance criteria.

Commercial and industrial members who upgrade to energy-efficient light bulbs which meet EnergyUnited's standards are eligible for a prescriptive, "per unit" rebate. The cooperative will provide a rebate of $0.30 for each watt saved by the lighting upgrade. Fixtures which have had older bulbs replaced by highly efficient ones are eligible for the rebate. The new light bulbs must have a manufacturer's rated life of 36,000 hours or greater to qualify and must be installed in a professional manner. Rebate criteria are subject only to EnergyUnited standards.

EnergyUnited offers rebates to residential customers who upgrade to high efficiency heat pumps. Rebates range from $150 - $300, varying by efficiency. The rebate form can be found on the program website and must be completed by the installing HVAC contractor. Each unit will require a separate form in order to qualify for rebates. Systems must be appropriately sized, recognized by the Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) and have an official ARI rating. Copies of the ARI certification, County Inspection and sales invoice must be included with each rebate form.

The City of Statesville Electric Utility Department offers rebates to its residential customers for installing new, energy efficient water heaters and heat pumps. To qualify for the heat pump rebate, customers must convert from gas or oil to a new electric heat pump, install a heat pump as part of new construction or install a heat pump in existing construction. Rebates are also paid for the replacement of existing heat pumps as well as for the installation of hybrid or dual fuel heat pumps.

[http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/Sessions/2007/Bills/Senate/PDF/S668v6.pdf Senate Bill 668] of 2007 and [http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/Sessions/2007/Bills/Senate/PDF/S1946v6.pdf Senate Bill 1946] of 2008 established several policies which will reduce the amount of energy, water and other resources consumed by the State government in their buildings and facilities.

In January 2008, Currituck County adopted an ordinance to regulate the use of wind-energy systems. The ordinance directs any individual or organization wishing to install a wind-energy system to obtain a zoning permit from the county planning board. Small-scale systems require only administrative approval for the permit, while large systems and utility-scale projects require approval from the board of commissioners.

Duke Energy encourages residential customers to buy energy-efficient homes through the utility's [http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=new_homes.hm_index Energy Star Homes Program], which awards a rate discount to customers living in Energy Star homes. Customers receive a discount on per kWh usage after the first 350 kWh per month. To earn the Energy Star label, homes are tested by a third-party inspector to ensure they meet the U.S. Department of Energy's criteria.

Duke Energy’s Smart $aver Incentive program offers rebates to non-residential customers to install energy efficient equipment in their facilities. All Duke Energy North Carolina nonresidential electric customers are eligible, except those that have elected to opt out of the Energy Efficiency Rider. Rebates are available for a wide range of equipment including lighting, heating and cooling equipment, chillers and thermal storage units, motors, pumps, VFDs, process equipment, and food service equipment.

The Smart $aver program offers rebates for qualifying heat pumps or air conditioners installed on or after June 1, 2009 for Duke Energy Carolinas electric residential retail customers residing in a single-family home, condominium, duplex or mobile home. A rebate of $200 is paid after the qualified system is installed by a licensed HVAC contractor. Heat pumps and air conditioning units must meet certain energy efficiency standards listed on the program web site. Residential customers are also eligible for a free energy audit through the Home Energy House Call program.

''Much of the information presented in this summary is drawn from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Building Energy Codes Program and the Building Codes Assistance Project (BCAP). For more detailed information about building energy codes, visit the [http://www.energycodes.gov/states/ DOE] and [http://bcap-ocean.org/ BCAP] websites.''