House and Senate Lawmakers Unveil NAHB-Supported Transformer Bill
At NAHB’s urging, Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.) and Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) have introduced identical House and Senate bills — Protecting America’s Distribution Transformer Supply Chain Act — that would delay for five years any rulemaking on energy-efficiency standards for distribution transformers.
“At a time when the home building industry is facing a severe shortage of distribution transformers, NAHB commends Rep. Hudson and Sen. Barrasso for introducing this important legislation,” said NAHB Chairman Alicia Huey. “This vital measure will provide needed time to boost output at existing facilities to address the growing supply chain crisis for transformers that has delayed home construction projects across the country and aggravated the nation’s housing affordability crisis.”
This was one of the key issues during the recent NAHB Legislative Conference when more than 700 NAHB members discussed vital matters of concern to the housing industry with their lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
The Department of Energy has proposed to increase the energy conservation standards for the production of distribution transformers and NAHB has been working diligently with House and Senate lawmakers to oppose this plan because it will exacerbate an already acute supply-chain shortage.
NAHB continues to work with both chambers of Congress to seek additional funding aimed solely at boosting production of distribution transformers to meet market demand.
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According to NAHB’s most recent member census from 2025, approximately two-thirds of NAHB’s total members are Associate members. These members include those involved in a wide range of support industries and professions including, trade contractors, manufacturers, retailers/distributors, designers, and architects.
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Mortgage application activity declined as the 30-year fixed mortgage rate rose sharply. The Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Market Composite Index, a measure of total mortgage application volume, decreased 7.7% month-over-month in September on a seasonally adjusted basis. Compared to a year ago, total mortgage applications were lower by 35.4%.
Mortgage rates rose sharply in September as multiple factors applied significant upward pressure on the U.S. treasury yields. According to Freddie Mac, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.86% in September, up nearly 20 basis points (bps) from August.
In 2025, around a quarter of new homes were built with a two-story foyer, slightly up from 2024, according to data obtained from the Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction (SOC) and tabulated by NAHB.