New homes in Illinois will be built in accordance with codes passed by the state legislature and just signed by Illinois Governor Pat Quinn. The new standards that make up the Energy Efficient Building Act aim to save families money on energy bills and reduce energy waste in the home as well as pollution emissions from power plants.
The Act has been in the works for several years, according to the State, and is the result of negotiations with environmental groups, architects, and homebuilders.
A key sponsor of the bill, State Representative Julie Hamos commented on how much public awareness of energy efficiency has increased since the legislation was first proposed.
“People across all sectors of the economy now recognize why this is such an important step to take,” she said.
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) was a major supporter as well, the State said. AIA-Illinois Executive Director Mike Waldinger stated that “architects know the design choices that are made with any building have a major impact on the energy used and utility costs. The building sector has tremendous potential to change resource consumption and the amount of pollution.”
“Since residential buildings represent the biggest share of everything built, bringing homes into these efficiency standards is great news with lots of positive results to come. AIA-Illinois is very proud to support this long-term and well-fought effort,” he said.
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