(Washington, D.C.) — U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) celebrated the announcement that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) opened applications for $400 million in federal funding to help states and territories adopt and implement building energy codes that reduce utility bills, increase efficiency, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make buildings more resilient to climate disasters. Senator Shaheen fought to include this funding in the Inflation Reduction Act, the largest climate and clean energy investment in U.S. history. New Hampshire has been allocated $4,089,833 in available funds.
“I’m thrilled that the building energy codes funding I secured in the Inflation Reduction Act is now being implemented to help make new homes and commercial buildings more energy efficient, which reduces both utility bills and carbon emissions,” said Senator Shaheen. “As New Hampshire begins applying for these grants, I will work with state and local partners to ensure Granite Staters benefit from this once-in-a-generation opportunity.”
The announcement comes during Climate Week 2023— an annual gathering of civil society leaders, business leaders, students and advocates who are committed to taking bold climate action. Homes built to today’s energy codes are nearly 40% more efficient than homes built just 15 years ago, dramatically cutting energy costs for consumers. If all states updated to the latest model energy codes, over the course of 30 years, this action would save enough energy to power all households in the United States for a full year. Switching to the updated energy codes would equate to almost 2 billion metric tons of CO2 emissions reduction, the equivalent of removing over 445 million gas powered cars from the road over the same 30 years.
Senator Shaheen has long worked to secure federal investments in clean energy and energy efficiency initiatives. As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Shaheen serves on the Appropriations Subcommittee that funds the Department of Energy. Shaheen was also a key supporter of the Inflation Reduction Act, which included provisions for clean energy and climate investments in New Hampshire. Senator Shaheen was a lead negotiator of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which provided a $550 billion investment in our nation’s core infrastructure priorities – including roads and bridges, rail, transit, ports, airports, the electric grid, water systems and broadband. Shaheen successfully included key provisions of her energy efficiency bill – the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act (ESIC) – with Senator Rob Portman (R-OH). She also included the Smart Manufacturing Leadership Act, the Promoting American Energy Jobs Act and the Heat Efficiency through Applied Technology (HEAT) Act.?
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