Investing your time and effort in residential energy efficiency standards will pay generous financial and environmental dividends to your community. One that improves the energy efficiency of housing. And modifying residential building codes may be the easiest way to begin establishing a new energy policy for your community. An innovative program in Austin, Texas, seeks to combine the benefits of energy-efficient construction with improvements in environmental quality. And Seiter says that investments in energy-efficient buildings not only keep money in the community but also yield twice the number of local and regional jobs as the same investments in conventional energy supply.
More money is retained within the local economy through increased energy savings.
Many independent organizations have developed energy standards for residential construction. Voluntary Standards Voluntary energy rating systems can be used alone or in conjunction with codes to encourage builders to find innovative ways to exceed minimum standards. The building industry is particularly supportive of this approach over mandatory standards, although the most effective approach appears to be a mix of the two. A new approach, called the Home Energy Rating System, represents an important development in voluntary rating systems. Programs exist in nearly 40 states and are being considered in the rest.