As a Virginia home owner of a 1978 house who cares about energy efficiency, I have managed to take my energy usage from a peak of 1450 kilowatt hours down to under 600 kilowatt hours in about a year.  

I added R-38 insulation, two temperature controlled exhaust fans, changed all of my lights to LEDs, added a Nest thermostat and installed a hybrid hot water heater.  As a result my electric bill and gas bills haven't been above $100 a month since.

I still have plenty of work to close the draftiness of my window frames, and those old windows are screaming to be be replaced.

Reducing energy efficient building standards puts a huge burden on the home-owner to tighten up their household.  It is large, ongoing burden that many folks simply don't get around to, or don't have the funds to take up that challenge.

Energy efficient building standards will make the homes of Virginia more comfortable, more affordable to the homeowner, and will conserve our energy resources and protect the environment.

My grandfather used to tell me "do it right the first time".  As a Virginia homeowner chasing drafty windows I strongly urge regulatory action on energy-efficient building standards.