A 2024 final determination that adopted heightened energy efficiency standards for new construction of FHA- and USDA-financed housing has been rescinded, according to a joint statement issued Tuesday by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The prior determination, adopted at the tail end of the Biden administration, required that new residential construction financed with Federal Housing Administration (FHA) or USDA loans meet green energy standards established by the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC).
Tuesday’s joint press release labeled those building code requirements “burdensome and expensive,” claiming that enforcement of the rules would decrease new home produc...