Kansas City shows energy efficient homes help everyone. Now the suburbs should follow

Starting next summer, homes built in Kansas City will be required to meet a higher energy efficiency standard.

A round of applause is due to the City Council, which last month adopted the 2021 version of the International Energy Conservation Code, part of a comprehensive set of building standards that are revised every three years by a committee of building professionals.

Although the IECC standards barely budged for several years — apparently due in large part to heavy lobbying by home builders — 2021 was another story. It’s estimated that the 2021 language reduces energy use by about 10% compared to several previous iterations of the code. A coalition of local architects and climate activists began urging the city more than two years ago to adopt the 2021 standards as soon as they were finalized. It’s been a long slog.

In adopting the new standards, Kansas City joins several cities including Chicago, Austin, Texas and Louisville, Colorado. Because about two-thirds of Kansas City’s carbon emissions result from energy use in buildings, reducing indoor energy consumption is critical to shrinking our overall carbon footprint.

When the matter finally came to a vote of the Kansas City Council in October, most of the city’s elected leaders managed to resist intense pressure from local home builders. The contractors said that more insulation and better air sealing would raise the cost of homes. No doubt it will. The precise amount is debatable, however. Home builders pegged it at $30,000 or more per home. Architects cited a U.S. Department of Energy estimate of about $3,000.

Home builders also predicted that residential construction would flee to the suburbs, where inefficient home construction is still permitted. That’s hard to say. There is no doubt, however, that monthly utility costs tumble in a home that’s better at keeping outside air outside, and inside air inside.

The council supported the ordinance by a vote of 9 to 4. Only the four Northland council members — Dan Fowler, Teresa Loar, Heather Hall and Kevin O’Neill — rejected the new standards.

Now that Kansas City has taken the leap, communities throughout the metropolitan area should consider making the switch as well. They could not only reduce emissions substantially, but could also establish a consistent efficiency standard across the region — something even a home builder might come to love.

Mission City Council member Hillary Parker Thomas expects her colleagues to consider updating to the 2021 standard next year. And she said the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Climate Action KC, where she is a board member, intends to make a presentation on the 2021 efficiency code revision for city officials in the region early in 2023.

The federal Inflation Reduction Act, passed in August, provides another reason for cities to mandate greater efficiency. The bill provides $330 million in grants to cities and states that adopt efficiency codes that meet or exceed 2021 IECC guidelines. Another $670 million is available for cities and states to help them adopt the more-ambitious “zero-energy” code.

Cities typically revise their building codes every few years. They all should adopt the 2021 energy efficiency standards the next time they review their building codes — if not sooner.

They needn’t wait any longer.

This story was originally published November 18, 2022 at 7:30 AM.