House energy coalition raises alarm on HUD, USDA intent to end energy efficiency building codes

The Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Agriculture have proposed rolling back key energy efficiency building codes that save homeowners and renters thousands on energy bills.

Co-Chairs of the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC) Building Resilient Housing Task Force Reps. Dave Min of California and Johnny Olszewski of Maryland sent a letter to HUD and USDA Secretaries Scott Turner and Brooke Rollins in response to a Notice for Comment on July 7 by both agencies.

“If you are in fact working towards the goal of ‘Delivering Emergency Price Relief for American Families and Defeating the Cost-of-Living Crisis’ as stated by the Executive Action you cited in the public comment notice, we urge you to uphold these building codes, which will reduce household energy costs over the lifetime of a home and will increase the resilience of new homes to ever-worsening disasters, thereby keeping rising insurance premiums in check,” the Task Force Co-Chairs wrote.

The SEEC is a coalition of 101 members of the U.S. House of Representatives that was founded in January 2009 to be a focused, active and effective coalition for advancing policies that address climate change, promote clean energy innovation and domestic manufacturing, develop renewable energy resources, create family-sustaining clean jobs, protect our nation’s air, water, and natural environment and promote environmental justice.

“Resurrecting a closed debate wastes time and taxpayer money. [These] building codes have already made American households safer and more prosperous. Rolling them back will only force the burden of rising energy prices and health costs further onto the shoulders of hopeful homebuyers pursuing the American Dream. We urge HUD and USDA to uphold these building codes and protect cost savings for Americans during a time of acute need,” the letter states to the secretaries.

HUD and the USDA accepted comments through August 6 on the final determination, which was published April 26, 2024 and included an updated economic analysis that found adoption of the International Energy Conservation Code and American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers/Illuminating Electrical Society Standard 90.1 standards “would not negatively impact the affordability of [Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007]-covered housing.”

Factors to address were changes in the economy because of the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain issues, cash flow adjustments, financing and energy code updates adopted at state-level, RESPA News reported in July. The most noticeable update in the analysis was that the supply chain issues increased cost by 37 percent and energy prices by 32 percent. Affordability in the analysis was considered based on cost effectiveness, such as life-cycle cost savings, incremental cost, years to positive cashflow and simple payback period.

HUD and the USDA sought comment to reexamine the analysis according to executive action “Delivering Emergency Price Relief for American Families and Defeating the Cost-of-Living Crisis.” In the January 20, 2025 executive order, President Donald Trump blamed the Biden Administration for “an historic inflation crisis on the American people.” The order calls on appropriate actions to lower the cost of housing and expand housing supply.