Far from the limelight of LEED, Energy Star or Green Globes certifications are the energy codes developed and updated by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and the International Code Council (ICC) through the support of the Department of Energy (DOE) as minimum guidelines for building envelope, HVAC, lighting and service water heating. These guidelines slowly have pushed the needle on minimum standards and have led to an increase in energy efficiency of 30 percent. The industry is in the middle of a transition to the most recent sets of these standards; many states will be adopting updates in the coming months. As the bar continues to rise in building energy efficiency, and code enforcement efforts continue to increase, education institutions should understand the effect of the energy code changes, how they may affect current and future projects. In this article, the authors discuss the importance of understanding and staying ahead of the curve on energy codes.