I recently replaced some old windows in my house, and I was very surprised that all the installers that came for a quote offered me untinted windows that do little to protect from the sun.  I quickly found that most southern states recommend highly-tinted windows, which are much more efficient in the summer to keep the house cool.

 

After doing my research, I found that Virginia is one of the least energy-efficient state - where despite having some relatively low electricity rates, we have some of the HIGHEST electricity bills in the country due mostly to low energy efficiency standards.

 

I then found that Virginia building code on energy efficiency dates from the most part from 2015.  There is an international building code as well as a US federal building code that are much more recent - ready to be adopted, they have done all the work - but Virginia has NOT adopted those latest, up-to-date codes.

 

This does not make sense.  We are leaving on the table a win-win-win proposition:  saving money in the long term, avoiding high electricity use and all of the issues related to that (air and water pollution, etc) - and worst of all - the opportunity to start addressing the climate crisis, that is with no doubt the most serious problem of our times.