House Moves Forward on NAHB-Supported Transformer Bill
The House Energy and Commerce Committee has approved NAHB-supported legislation that will help ease the shortage of distribution transformers.
H.R. 4167, the Protecting America’s Distribution Transformer Supply Chain Act, would ensure certainty for transformer manufacturers as they seek to repair and strengthen a broken distribution transformer supply chain that has delayed home construction projects across the country and aggravated the nation’s housing affordability crisis.
The legislation would repeal the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) authority to propose, finalize, implement, administer or enforce any energy efficiency standard for distribution transformers for the next five years. The DOE has proposed to increase the energy conservation standards for the production of transformers, an action that NAHB strongly opposes because it will exacerbate an already acute supply-chain shortage.
NAHB reiterated its support for this legislation in a letter, sharing that “NAHB members report that wait times for transformers often range from 12 to 24 months, and in some isolated cases, the lag time approaches three years. These delays are worsened by the fact that transformer prices have increased by 85 percent since the first quarter of 2018.”
NAHB will continue to work with Congress to seek additional funding to boost production of distribution transformers to meet market demand.
Latest from NAHBNow
Labor | Advocacy
Sep 25, 2026
NAHB Responds as Immigration Enforcement Keeps Legal Workers Off Job Sites
As the housing industry faces a severe labor shortage, NAHB members report that increased immigration enforcement and jobsite raids are heightening worker fears and further straining the construction labor pool.
Advocacy
Sep 24, 2026
NAHB Helps Kick Off Innovative Housing Showcase on the National Mall
NAHB Chairman Bill Owens was on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., yesterday to help open the 2026 Innovative Housing Showcase, an annual event presented by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Latest Economic News
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%).
Economics
Sep 24, 2026
New Home Sales Rise as Affordability Challenges Continue
New home sales improved in August, but the monthly gain masked continued weakness in the broader new-home market. Elevated mortgage rates and ongoing affordability challenges continue to constrain demand, with new home sales remaining below last year’s pace and year-to-date sales lower than in 2025.
Economics
Sep 24, 2026
Single-Family Detached Homes Still Dominate Among the 55+ Population
Adults ages 55 and older make up a large and growing share of the U.S. population and play an important role in the U.S. housing market. In 2024, around 103 million Americans were ages 55 or older, ranging from adults still in the labor force to retirees.