House Bill Would Repeal Onerous Energy Codes Grant Program
NAHB has sent a letter to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in support of the Lower Energy Costs Act (H.R. 1), legislation that would repeal a section of the Inflation Reduction Act that provides $1 billion to pressure state and local governments to adopt advanced energy codes.
“While NAHB supports the adoption of cost-effective, modern energy codes, we oppose these grant programs that prevent amendments to the energy code that accommodate local conditions and a cost-effectiveness analysis,” the letter to McCarthy stated.
NAHB believes that forcing the adoption of costly energy codes to qualify for these grants would exacerbate the current housing affordability crisis and limit energy choices for consumers. Adoption of the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code can cost a home buyer as much as $22,000 in additional costs and can take as long as 90 years to see a simple payback for these investments.
“Implementation of these grants would result in fewer families being able to achieve the American dream of homeownership,” said the letter to the House leadership. NAHB noted that efforts to push costly and restrictive energy codes across the country without an opportunity for local review overburden new construction and largely ignore the energy performance of the existing housing stock. New homes built to modern codes are already energy efficient which makes increasing code stringency often unnecessary.
H.R. 1 also repeals a provision in the Inflation Reduction Act that addresses energy efficiency in older homes. NAHB stands ready to work with Congress to develop a practical energy efficiency program that addresses the great need for energy efficiency improvements in older homes.
“NAHB supports H.R. 1 as it provides much needed common-sense energy solutions for our country while protecting consumer choice and preserving housing affordability,” the letter said. “We urge the House of Representatives to swiftly pass this legislation.”
Learn more about NAHB's advocacy efforts.
Latest from NAHBNow
Economics
Sep 28, 2026
Median Revenue of NAHB Remodelers Grows 24%
According to the NAHB Member Census, 21% of NAHB builder members listed residential remodeling as their primary business. These remodelers tend to be relatively small, with a median of five employees and a median annual revenue of $2.1 million.
Labor
Sep 25, 2026
NAHB Amicus Brief Argues for Fair Due Process for Workers
NAHB filed an amicus brief in the Fifth Circuit immigration case Sosnava Rodriguez v. Ortega. The case asks whether a person who entered the United States without official inspection may seek release on bond from a judge while the government considers deportation.
Latest Economic News
Economics
Sep 28, 2026
Market Share of 5,000+ Sq. Ft. Homes Edges Higher in 2025
New homes with 5,000 square feet or more of living space posted an increase in market share last year. In 2025, 27,000 homes of this size were started, accounting for 2.9% of all new homes started. Both the number and market share of homes with 5,000 square feet or more increased from 2024, according to annual data from the Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction (SOC).
Economics
Sep 28, 2026
NAHB Remodelers: What the Data Says
Twenty-one percent of NAHB builder members listed residential remodeling as their primary business, according to the 2025 Member Census. These remodelers tend to be relatively small, with a median of five employees and a median annual revenue of $2.1 million. This means that remodelers are even smaller than NAHB builder members, who had a median of six employees and median annual revenue of $3.7 million, as reported in a recent post.
Economics
Sep 25, 2026
State and Local Government Tax Revenue Grows
Total tax revenue collected by state and local governments was up 5.8% from a year ago in the second quarter, according to the Quarterly Summary of State and Local Government Tax Revenue published by the U.S. Census Bureau. This was the highest year-over-year growth since the third quarter of 2024 (7.2%).