How much does it really cost to build a home that uses dramatically less energy? According to a new analysis by ICF Consulting, the answer is surprisingly modest. A home built to the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) uses roughly twenty percent less energy than a comparable home built to the 2009 code, while homes built to the latest 2024 IECC deliver even greater savings. Achieving those gains requires an upfront investment of only a few thousand dollars. In return, homeowners receive decades of lower utility bills and greater comfort. These long-term benefits stand in sharp contrast to claims by the National Association of Homebuilders that modern energy codes add tens of thousands of dollars to the cost of a new home. By measuring the cumulative costs of the prescriptive requirements in the 2015 and 2024 IECC, the analysis offers builders, policymakers, and homebuyers a detailed picture of what today’s energy codes actually cost.
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Posts Tagged: new construction
State of the Nation’s Housing Report 2024
The Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS) at Harvard University recently released The State of the Nation’s Housing 2024 report. This year’s report details some significant challenges confronting the U.S. residential housing market. These include increasing housing costs, record cost burdens for homeowners and low for-sale inventory, which has prompted buyers to seek new construction homes, however unaffordable.
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