This article revolves around the misalignment between the interests of mass-produced home builders who pay for efficiency improvements and the interests of homeowners who buy their products and benefit or suffer from lower or higher utility bills. identified. This article could have explained this discrepancy in more detail, including possible solutions on how to reconcile it.
Passive House Network has thoroughly researched this topic. We believe that strong energy codes are adopted more quickly in states where building industry professionals are well-supported through clear end-goal goals, strong training, and energy modeling tools that deliver reliable results. I found out that it will be done.
Strong energy cords have been shown to double the amount of time residents can comfortably evacuate during extreme weather events or power outages. Building to Passive House standards further enhances this resilience.
Bronwyn Barry, San Francisco
The author, an architect, is also policy director and founding board member of the Passive House Network.
As an architect and president of the American Institute of Architects, I am always aware of how building techniques evolve and improve over time. In recent years, there have been significant advances in the energy efficiency of homes. Building energy codes now need to be updated to keep homes up to date with the latest innovations and encourage efficiency gains.
This not only reduces housing operating costs for everyone, but also helps reduce the impact of extreme heat and other quality of life threats brought about by climate change.
Unfortunately, a major obstacle to making necessary code updates is the lobbying power of homebuilders, who vehemently oppose the proposed changes for financial reasons. . These new standards add a small percentage to the initial cost of a new home, but they can mean the difference between life and death for residents. Within the first few years of construction, these potentially life-saving energy upgrades will pay for themselves in energy savings.
Home builders who seek to maintain outdated building standards to secure higher profits on first deals do not seem concerned about the negative effects of this myopic thinking. Architects are trained to take a long-term view and think about how to protect the public health, safety, and welfare. This is why it is important for architects to advocate for the implementation of the latest energy standards. What we build today are the homes and spaces in which our children and their children will seek refuge tomorrow in times of unpredictable climate.
There is no excuse to build on decades-old energy standards or lobby against new life-saving standards. We must build to weather the coming storm. Energy Code is an investment in our future. We can’t afford to build like we used to.
Kimberly Dowdell, detroit