Blogs

On August 7, APGA submitted comments in response to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) notice of preliminary determination pertaining to the adoption of energy efficiency standards for newly constructed federally-financed housing.

Through the comments, AGPA urged the agencies to carefully consider whether wholesale adoption of the most recent energy codes and standards from the International Code Council (ICC) and the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) - IECC 2021 and ASHRAE 90.1 – 2019, respectively - made the most sense to adopt nationwide for HUD- and USDA-financed housing.  APGA argued that costs to consumers need to be an important consideration when making this decision, as the housing program at issue is intended for lower income and disadvantaged communities.  APGA also pushed back on the agencies’ consideration of adopting electrification, “electric-ready,” or other “stretch code” provisions that do not guarantee energy reductions, but instead would only increase costs.

The American Gas Association (AGA) also jointly submitted these comments with APGA.  A copy of the comment letter is available here.

For questions on this article, please contact Stuart Saulters of APGA staff by phone at 202-802-0493 or by email at ssaulters@apga.org.