ENGLEWOOD, CO – August 21, 2026 – PRESSADVANTAGE –

Federal Steel Systems said it is reaffirming its commitment to all-inclusive, permit-ready building packages following the July 1, 2026 effective date of Colorado’s Model Low Energy and Carbon Code, which became the state’s new minimum building code standard for new construction. The company said the update changes baseline requirements for commercial and residential projects across its home state, including the metal buildings it manufactures.

The Model Low Energy and Carbon Code, published by the Colorado Energy Office, requires new construction to meet updated energy efficiency, electric readiness, and solar readiness standards. Under the new baseline, cities and counties across Colorado must adopt at least the code’s requirements whenever they update local building codes, replacing a prior standard that gave jurisdictions more flexibility in how aggressively they pursued efficiency and electrification requirements. The Colorado Energy Office has described the change as part of a multi-year effort to align local building codes with the state’s broader climate goals, and homebuilder groups had previously urged the office to adopt the underlying energy code without additional state-level modifications.

For metal building projects specifically, the updated baseline affects requirements such as insulation performance, electrical rough-in for future EV charging and solar equipment, and roof design that can accommodate a later solar installation, even for buildings that are not solar-equipped at the time of construction. Builders that rely on skeleton kits or a la carte accessory pricing may find that bringing a project into compliance after the fact adds cost and delay that was not reflected in the original quote. Local jurisdictions are expected to phase in enforcement of the new baseline as they update their own building codes over the coming months, meaning the specific requirements a given project faces will depend on when and where it is permitted.

Federal Steel Systems said the update reinforces the reasoning behind its practice of including insulation, panel types, and other accessories as standard components of its quoted building packages rather than optional add-ons. The company, which designs each building to meet or exceed local code requirements and provides permit-ready stamped engineering drawings with every project, said its process already accounts for the kind of code changes represented by the new statewide standard. The company added that customers planning a project in Colorado or any other state should confirm with their builder whether a quote already reflects current code requirements or whether compliance updates will be billed separately once construction is underway.

“Code requirements change more often than people expect, and the buildings we design today have to hold up under whatever the local jurisdiction is enforcing by the time they are permitted. That is why we do not treat insulation and electrical rough-in as extras,” said Nick Guinn, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Federal Steel Systems.

Federal Steel Systems is a Colorado-based manufacturer of custom-engineered steel and metal buildings, founded in 2009 by industry veterans responding to widespread customer dissatisfaction with deceptive pricing and incomplete packages in the metal building sector. Headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, the company distributes buildings nationally and designs them to meet or exceed local codes in high-snowfall, high-wind, and seismic zones. Federal Steel Systems reports zero structural failures across its delivered buildings, offers a free 3D building design tool, and operates an Authorized Builder Program for contractors.

More information is available at federalsteelsystems.com.

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For more information about Federal Steel Systems, contact the company here:

Federal Steel Systems
Nick Guinn
720-475-1354
info@federalsteelsystems.com
23 Inverness Way East, #100
Englewood,CO 80112

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