Unfortunately, market imperfections and institutional barriers thwart the timely capture of most of these savings. Minimum efficiency standards help eliminate the most inefficient building practices. However, state and local building codes vary widely in scope and enforcement.
Some states establish mandatory standards, while others set voluntary standards or guidelines.
Not all types of residential, commercial and government buildings are covered. Enforcement ranges from strict to nonexistent. Among the leaders are California, Florida, Massachusetts and the entire Northwest region, under its federal mandate to pursue least-cost energy services. But most standards fall short of requiring life-cycle optimum investments. Technical assistance and training programs for architects and engineers must be part of such an effort.