This week, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) forecasted that U.S. natural gas prices in 2025 and 2026 will increase by 21 percent. The projected increase in natural gas prices tempers hopes that home heating costs for Americans would decrease and comes at a time when America’s economy is dealing with persistent inflation. About 60 percent of American homes rely on natural gas.
Over 1,000 insulation, HVAC, and manufacturing companies signed a letter to House Ways and Means and Senate Finance Committee leaders last week urging them to save the 25C Energy Efficient Home Improvement Tax Credit. The $1,200 homeowner tax credit is vulnerable to repeal as congressional lawmakers identify cost savings to pay for extending the corporate and individual tax rates set during the first Trump Administration.
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With the publishing of the 2024 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued new requirements for Energy Star Single-Family New Homes (SFNH) National v3.3 and Multifamily New Construction (MFNC) National v1.3, for states that adopt the 2024 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), or equivalent.
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U.S. heating costs are likely to increase by 8.7 percent, to an average of $941, according to the National Energy Assistance Directors Association (NEADA), which represents state administrators of federal utility aid programs for low-income households. While cost increases for all heating types will occur, the expected increase will affect consumers who heat their homes with electricity the hardest, with bills likely to increase by 14.2 percent to an average of $1,189 versus last year’s $1,040, according to NEADA. The increase is mainly due to the rise in energy use following the recent severe cold snap that blanketed much of the nation with snow and frigid temperatures.
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Maximizing energy performance to cost in new construction homes is every home builder’s goal and every home buyer’s expectation. Research shows that home buyers want energy efficiency but also need affordability. For builders committed to maximizing efficiency, fiberglass and mineral wool insulation products offer both performance and cost-effectiveness.
In this week’s blog, we highlight three publications that demonstrate that fiberglass and mineral wool can be used to meet any high-performance building approach.
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Electricity prices across America continue to increase even as the price of natural gas for electric generation is near an all-time low. Electric utility costs have increased by 24.8 percent in three years. They will continue to escalate until the Federal Electricity Energy Regulatory Commission acts to protect consumers versus the utility companies that build transmission lines.
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Analysis conducted by ICF consulting compared the home energy performance of the 2020 National Green Building Standard (NGBS), the first residential green building standard to undergo the full consensus process from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), and the 2021 Residential International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). The analysis showed that the NGBS is not equivalent to the 2021 IECC except possibly at the Emerald level, and all homes at the Bronze, Silver, and Gold levels result in worse energy performance and higher energy costs than the 2021 IECC.
Details »Yesterday, the International Energy Agency (IEA) released its Energy Efficiency 2024 report, concluding that much faster progress on global energy efficiency is needed to meet the climate pledges of COP28 held last year. Nearly 200 countries, including the United States, pledged to double the global annual average rate of energy efficiency during the event. One year later, a weak improvement of just 1 percent has been achieved. However, the report includes critical takeaways for the building industry and buildings.
As home builders work to decarbonize construction, sourcing low-carbon building materials (including insulation) is an important objective. However, it can be challenging to make informed choices when misleading information about the carbon impacts of products is commonly cited.
NAIMA’s new guide, Setting the Record Straight: Insulation and Low Carbon Buildings, details the embodied carbon of common insulation products, highlights the rapid payback period, and dispels the myth that cellulose and wood fiber insulation products are carbon negative.
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New research sponsored by NAIMA and conducted by ICF Consulting shows that 89 percent of U.S. single-family homes are under-insulated, decreasing comfort while increasing energy costs for homeowners.
Using the 2012 IECC as the baseline for home energy efficiency level, ICF used the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) 2024 ResStock database to extrapolate a sample of 1 million U.S. homes for this study. All homes that met energy efficiency targets less stringent than the 2012 IECC were deemed under-insulated.
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