The Trump Presidency’s Impact on Energy Codes; Is there One?

Ryan Meres, senior code compliance specialist for the Institute for Market Transformation, considers what impact, if any, there might be on the strides made in recent years in the adoption of more stringent residential energy codes around the country.

According to Meres, “Under a presidential administration and Congress in which members, including the president-elect, believe climate change is a hoax, it’s unlikely that a Trump agenda will pay much heed to advancing energy efficiency. However, it also is unlikely that it will backtrack on current code stringency, given the development process that has been established. With increased energy code enforcement continuing to show strong benefits, with estimates of a 600 percent return on investment on enforcement by local jurisdictions and potential savings from achieving compliance of more than $126 billion in energy bills by 2040, this is good news.”