Our Goals
- Lower housing costs
- Increase resilience to extreme weather
- Build healthier homes
- Cut greenhouse gas emissions and other pollution
- Reduce risk of mortgage defaults
Why Update Energy Codes?
Every year, builders construct hundreds of thousands of new houses and apartments that waste energy.
Energy inefficient homes leave future homeowners and renters paying higher utility bills in homes that are less safe in extreme weather—and they needlessly increase pollution.
Why does this still happen?
Because new homes are built to meet a patchwork of energy codes across the country—many of them significantly outdated.
A simple solution:
The Federal Housing Finance Agency is considering requiring new homes with mortgages backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to be built to updated energy codes. It would follow the lead of other federal agencies that are strengthening their efficiency requirements for mortgages they back.
The Campaign for Lower Home Energy Costs is calling on the Federal Housing Finance Agency to act and protect residents from high costs and risk of loan default, improve the safety of homes in extreme weather, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other pollution.
In the News
Get up to date with the latest press
News & Updates
Groups Celebrate Updated Energy Efficiency Rules for New U.S.-Backed Homes
Advocates and industry groups welcomed newly adopted energy codes today for federally supported homes across the country. The significant update from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Department of Agriculture (USDA) will reduce housing costs, default risks to lenders, and greenhouse gas emissions and other pollution. [...]
Updated energy codes help residents afford their bills and survive extreme temperatures
As the frequency of extreme temperatures increases, so too will energy costs. Inevitably, the financial strain on hardworking families across the country will reach unprecedented levels. Inadequately insulated and cooled homes pose significant health risks, compounding the challenges faced by residents already burdened with high energy bills. In some cases, [...]
Housing costs will keep going up unless we start building better homes
Insurance companies know something you may not: the next home you buy could bankrupt you, or even worse, become your tomb. There’s a reason those companies are fleeing homes in places like Florida. It’s called climate change, it’s real, and it’s scary. Over the last decade the number of heat-related [...]
Mortgage Lenders Urge FHFA to Adopt Codes for Energy-Efficient Homes
Adopting up-to-date energy codes would not only save families thousands in energy costs but also reduce risks for lenders In a joint effort to enhance long-term housing affordability and reduce financial risk, a group of consumer and mortgage lenders has penned a letter to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) expressing [...]
Campaign Partners
The Campaign for Lower Home Energy Costs was launched in partnership with the following organizations:
