Smarter building codes save money. Mayor Lucas, don’t take KC backward | Opinion

Home energy costs are already high and are expected to go up. Missouri families are forecast to see $130 utility bill increases annually by 2030.

Unfortunately, a narrow majority of the Kansas City Council may make things worse. Last week, it passed an ordinance by a 7-6 vote to cancel our updated building energy code, which saved people money by ensuring all new homes are reasonably well-insulated and sealed against air leaks.

Mayor Quinton Lucas has an opportunity to stand up for Kansas City families and veto the ordinance. It shouldn’t be a close call, because affordability is paramount. Lucas signed the updated building energy code into law in 2023, saying it “will benefit residents long-term, saving families hundreds of dollars each year.” He was right. Utility costs are the second-biggest household expense after the mortgage payment or rent. Homes are not affordable if heating and cooling bills are too high. Before the city updated our building code, it was already more than 10 years out of date, meaning new homes were built without adequate insulation and air sealing. That makes utility bills needlessly higher at a time of rising energy costs.

The updated code is a clear cost-saver for buyers of new homes, as well as for all future owners or renters who will live in them. The homes built under the newer code save their residents an average of more than $1,200 a year on utility bills. As a certified home energy rater and teacher on building codes, I test how homes actually perform.

I’ve seen firsthand that building to modern energy standards lowers utility bills for the families who live in them. Having measured these savings in real homes every day, I know this proposed rollback is bad news for families. It would be irresponsible to rob Kansas City families of the updated code’s utility bill savings, which far exceed the modest additional cost of a bit of additional insulation and better air sealing.

Independent analyses show that homes built to updated energy codes save homeowners and renters hundreds of dollars a year on utility bills. Building homes to updated energy codes is standard practice in states such as Louisiana and Illinois. Both adopted codes similar to Kansas City’s in recent years, with no apparent effect on the rate of new home construction. The largest homebuilding company in the country told investors that fluctuations in rates of homebuilding are due to other factors, such as employment levels, consumer confidence and interest rates.

Ensuring Kansas City’s new homes are built to today’s energy efficiency standards doesn’t slow construction. It results in homes that are healthier and more durable. It’s just a commonsense protection for families facing rising costs. Mayor Lucas should stand with Kansas City families and against higher costs. He should veto the proposed rollback of our updated building energy code.

Sharla Riead is owner and managing member of Hathmore Technologies, LLC and a certified home energy auditor for the states of Missouri and Kansas.

This story was originally published February 10, 2026 at 5:03 AM.