Please support HB950. Giving local jurisdictions the ability to adopt stretch codes requiring builders to meet more stringent energy efficiency requirements during new construction and renovations will give them an important tool to reduce energy cost to residents and commercial building occupants. Current Virginia building codes are woefully behind national recommended standards and substandard energy efficiency requirements pass on unnecessary costs for owners and occupants throughout the life of the building or until expensive upgrades are made. This burden is felt most by low to moderate income households who often have to choose between food and paying utility bills, More efficient buildings are also more resilient during power outages because they can retain temperatures longer than poorly insulated buildings. Enhanced building codes are better for consumers and better for local economies.

Support HB950. Builders will do the bare minimum to save money, so giving local jurisdictions the ability to adopt stretch codes requiring builders to meet more stringent energy efficiency requirements during new construction and renovations will move Virginia forward faster to meet the challenge of climate change. Current Virginia building codes are woefully behind national recommended standards. Enhanced building codes are better for consumers and better for local economies.

Support HB950. Giving local jurisdictions the ability to adopt stretch codes requiring builders to meet more stringent energy efficiency requirements during new construction and renovations will give them an important tool to reduce energy cost to residents and commercial building occupants. Current Virginia building codes are woefully behind national recommended standards and substandard energy efficiency requirements pass on unnecessary costs for owners and occupants throughout the life of the building or until expensive upgrades are made. This burden is felt most by low to moderate income households who often have to choose between food and paying utility bills, More efficient buildings are also more resilient during power outages because they can retain temperatures longer than poorly insulated buildings. Enhanced building codes are better for consumers and better for local economies.

I support this policy, which would allow communities like Arlington to implement stricter building codes with higher energy efficiency standards that can cut back on a lot of climate change-producing greenhouse gases. In addition to reducing pollution, higher energy efficiency standards for buildings will help all Virginians by lowering utilities’ need to spend more for energy generation and transmission and for customer efficiency programs. More efficient buildings will help Virginia’s economy cope with the growing costs of climate change. We are in a climate change crisis, and we need to act now. Please pass this bill.

Support HB950. As a young adult, I'm very concerned about how the climate crisis will impact our future. As a member of Arlington's Housing Commission, it is frustrating that our county has no ability to require developers to meet stronger energy efficiency requirements. Giving local jurisdictions the ability to adopt stretch codes requiring builders to meet more stringent energy efficiency requirements during new construction and renovations will give them an important tool to reduce energy cost to residents and commercial building occupants. Current Virginia building codes are woefully behind national recommended standards and substandard energy efficiency requirements pass on unnecessary costs for owners and occupants throughout the life of the building or until expensive upgrades are made. This burden is felt most by low to moderate income households who often have to choose between food and paying utility bills, More efficient buildings are also more resilient during power outages because they can retain temperatures longer than poorly insulated buildings. Enhanced building codes are better for consumers and better for local economies.

Support HB950. Giving local jurisdictions the ability to adopt stretch codes requiring builders to meet more stringent energy efficiency requirements during new construction and renovations will give them an important tool to reduce energy cost to residents and commercial building occupants. Current Virginia building codes are below national recommended standards, and substandard energy efficiency requirements pass on unnecessary costs for owners and occupants throughout the life of the building or until expensive upgrades are made. This burden is felt most by low to moderate income households who often have to choose between food and paying utility bills, More efficient buildings are also more resilient during power outages because they can retain temperatures longer than poorly insulated buildings. Enhanced building codes are better for consumers and better for local economies.

Support HB950. Giving local jurisdictions the ability to adopt stretch codes requiring builders to meet more stringent energy efficiency requirements during new construction and renovations will give them an important tool to reduce energy cost to residents and commercial building occupants. Current Virginia building codes are woefully behind national recommended standards and substandard energy efficiency requirements pass on unnecessary costs for owners and occupants throughout the life of the building or until expensive upgrades are made. This burden is felt most by low to moderate income households who often have to choose between food and paying utility bills, More efficient buildings are also more resilient during power outages because they can retain temperatures longer then poorly insulated buildings. Enhanced building codes are better for consumers and better for local economies.

HB950 should be approved. Local governments need authority to protect their residents and economy from higher utility costs jeopardizing affordability, wasted energy, higher pollution and lack of readiness for climate impacts over buildings’ 50-100 year lifetimes. Retrofits are far more costly. Virginia’s building code for energy efficiency has fallen behind national building codes and Virginia law. It sets minimums but does not permit localities to require more stringent standards even though its national model code (International Energy Conservation Code) is both more stringent and has some stretch code provisions. Buildings are Virginia’s second largest driver of carbon emissions. And, as documented by the U.S. Department of Energy, greater energy efficiency will save occupants money and increase affordability throughout buildings lives. U.S. DOE encourages adoption of energy stretch codes, as well as the full IECC. Better insulation will also increase resiliency during power outages. Reducing energy demand through efficiency will benefit all Virginians and Virginia’s economy by lowering utilities costs to produce and deliver energy and to make efficiency retrofits, thereby reducing utility rates. Many localities are establishing policies to meet the growing climate crisis. However, they need the authority to set more stringent building efficiency standards to meet their goals. Fairfax County has made energy and climate stretch-code authority a legislative priority for 2024. No locality has an incentive to require more building efficiency than is needed to serve its community’s interests; and, the bill would not permit local standards that are weaker than the USBC. Other states, including our neighbor Maryland, permit localities to adopt stretch codes. The IECC itself has stretch code provisions as well as stronger efficiency standards than the USBC.