It is unbelievable that Virginia would miss this opportunity to modernize and eliminate a huge amout of carbon emissions from the housing sector. Reinstate the energy efficiency measures so Virginia can stop being so backwards (there are already enough disincentives for energy/fuel efficiency here). 

This year was anticipated to be one of the best years for residential and commercial building energy efficiency improvements, as the national model code recommendation included upgrades that would represent a 15% national gain in building efficiency – and could achieve as much as a 27.4% gain for Virginia’s residential buildings, according to a recent analysis completed by the U.S. Department of Energy.  This jump could eliminate 55.6 million metric tons of CO2 by 2035, equivalent to taking 11.6 million cars off the roads.

However, these higher standards have been removed from the proposed Virginia residential code, largely due to lobbying efforts from the Home Builders Association of Virginia. Unless the provisions are reinstated, Virginia will miss this opportunity to modernize and improve residences statewide.

Don't let the special interests win this one!