U.S. Department of Energy Challenges U.S. Homebuilding Industry
February 15, 2008
ORLANDO, FL – On February 14, Energy Secretary Samuel W. Bodman launched the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Builders Challenge, a voluntary national energy savings program calling for the U.S. homebuilding industry to build 220,000 high performance energy efficient homes by 2012.
A high-performance home would use at least 30% less energy than a typical new home built to meet criteria of the 2006 International Energy Conservation Code. As part of DOE's Builders Challenge, 38 homebuilders have already pledged to build an estimated total of 6,000 high-performance homes.
Ultimately, DOE aims to see 1.3 million homes of this high standard constructed by 2030, allowing Americans to save $1.7 billion in energy costs, or the carbon equivalent of taking 606,000 cars off the road annually. See the Builders Challenge Web site.
