Published: February 2024

FHFA should require new homes financed with Fannie/Freddie-backed mortgages to meet energy code requirements

More than 75 organizations urged the FHFA to require that all new homes purchased with mortgages backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac meet updated energy code requirements.

Consumer Action was one of more than 75 organizations to call on the FHFA to require that all new homes purchased with mortgages backed by the Government Sponsored Enterprises—Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac—meet the updated energy codes currently proposed by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for their mortgage products. In addition to allowing FHFA to act in concert with other federal agencies, creating consistent energy requirements for nearly all federally-backed mortgage financing, the step would reduce risk to the Enterprises and protect homeowners, while expanding access to affordable homeownership, addressing the racial home equity gap, and reducing home energy burdens. Absent the new energy code requirements, low-income households will continue to be saddled with decades of energy waste, high utility bills and poor resilience, making housing less affordable long-term. 

Lead Organization

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE)

More Information

Read the letter here.

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