Helping Owners with Unaffordable Shoddy Edicts Act of 2025 or the HOUSE Act of 2025This bill directs the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to withdraw the final determination titled Adoption of Energy Efficiency Standards for New Construction of HUD- and USDA-Financed Housing and published on April 26, 2024.The determination adopted updated minimum energy efficiency standards for newly built homes (except manufactured housing) financed through certain HUD and USDA programs. Specifically, it adopted the (1) 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), which applies to single family homes and multifamily low-rise buildings up to three stories; and (2) 2019 American National Standards Institute/American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers/Illuminating Electrical Society (ANSI/ASHRAE/IES) Standard 90.1, which applies to multifamily residential buildings with four or more stories. HUD and USDA must also revert to using the energy efficiency standards required before the determination.In addition, the bill prohibits HUD, USDA, and the Department of Veterans Affairs from taking actions or using federal funds to implement or enforce the determination or any substantially similar determination. It also prohibits the Federal Housing Finance Agency from finalizing, implementing, or enforcing a determination or rule relating to energy efficiency standards for single and multifamily housing.Finally, the bill prohibits HUD and USDA from adopting updates to the IECC or ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1 in certain circumstances unless at least 26 states have adopted codes or standards that meet or exceed the update's requirements.
Impact
The passage of HB 75 would have significant implications for state laws regarding energy efficiency in housing. It mandates a reversion to prior standards, thus potentially undermining advancements made in energy efficiency regulations at the federal level. Furthermore, this bill constrains federal funds from being utilized to implement the newer standards, effectively prioritizing older, possibly less stringent standards. This shift may impact various programs related to affordable housing and energy conservation efforts initiated by federal agencies.
Summary
House Bill 75, titled the 'Helping Owners with Unaffordable Shoddy Edicts Act of 2025,' aims to require the Secretaries of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Agriculture (USDA) to withdraw a recent final determination related to energy efficiency standards for housing. The bill specifically targets a determination that facilitated the adoption of new energy efficiency standards for HUD- and USDA-financed housing, arguing that it imposes undue burdens on property owners and stakeholders in the housing market.
Contention
Notably, the bill could lead to considerable contention in the legislative arena. Supporters argue that the new standards increase housing costs and are impractical, while opponents may highlight the bill's potential negative effects on energy conservation and environmental goals. Furthermore, the legislation raises questions about the balance of power between federal agencies and state regulations, as it allows states to maintain their energy codes provided they are more stringent than those dictated by the reverted federal standards. Opposition may center around concerns that the bill will hinder progress in energy efficiency, particularly as a growing number of states adopt more robust energy efficiency measures.
A bill to require the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and the Secretary of Agriculture to withdraw a final determination relating to energy efficiency standards for housing, and for other purposes.
Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Agriculture relating to "Final Determination: Adoption of Energy Efficiency Standards for New Construction of HUD- and USDA-Financed Housing".
To prohibit the Secretary of Energy from finalizing, implementing, or enforcing the proposed rule titled "Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards for Residential Clothes Washers".
Public Housing Emergency Response Act This bill authorizes additional assistance from the Public Housing Capital Fund to public housing agencies (PHAs) based upon capital needs as determined by the PHA's most recent physical needs assessment. The physical needs assessment identifies work that a PHA would need to undertake to bring its units up to certain energy conservation standards and other standards.
Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy of the Department of Energy relating to "Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards for Circulator Pumps".