The following description and links are an excerpt from the Zero Energy Project’s recent newsletter. For more on the Zero Energy Project, click here.
“Average homeowners are the biggest beneficiaries of more energy efficient building codes, says Daniel Bressett of the Alliance to Save Energy. Homeowners consistently state their preference for energy efficiency features, a point made again in the housing survey conducted by the National Association of Home Builders.
“Not only do energy efficient features appear consistently among the top ten preferences, but buyers are willing to pay more for them. In spite of consistent support for greater efficiency, some members of the building industry continue to object to more efficient codes. A recent analysis by the Building Codes Assistance Project compared a home built to the 2012 International Energy Conservation Code and a home built to current practice. The additional cost was $1494 – $2201, while the direct energy savings was $296 – $392 per year. When financing the extra cost with a 30-year mortgage, the home buyer sees a net savings within one to two years. Furthermore, despite loud objections from some in the housing industry, a 2015 paper titled New Home v. Price Study published by the Benningfield Groupand the UCLA Anderson Forecast found no correlation between California’s nation-leading energy code and higher housing costs.”