Rep. Ed Perlmutter (R-Colo.), an honorary member of AIA Colorado, has introduced sweeping legislation to stimulate the design and construction of energy-efficient residential buildings. The Green Resources for Energy-Efficient Neighborhoods (GREEN) Act (H.R. 6078) will provide incentives to lenders and financial institutions to offer lower interest loans and other benefits to consumers who build, buy, or remodel their homes to make them more energy-efficient.

The legislation, which already has 21 cosponsors, is Congress’s most far-reaching attempt to promote residential energy efficiency. The AIA worked closely with Perlmutter throughout the bill’s drafting.

The bill will establish energy efficiency standards for residences constructed under the jurisdiction of the Department of Housing and Urban Development and expand the uses of Energy Efficient and Location Efficient Mortgages.

AIA President Marshall E. Purnell, FAIA, testified June 11 in support of the legislation before the House Financial Services Committee. "Last year we advocated strongly for energy-efficiency requirements for federal buildings," Purnell said. "This year we are working with the Financial Services Committee to craft legislation that will create federal incentives for energy-efficient residential projects. This is a necessary step to ensure that we continue making significant reductions in the amount of fossil-fuel generated energy our nation consumes through its homes and buildings." Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-Mass.), who is a cosponsor of the bill, indicated that he would like to advance the bill quickly in an effort to help consumers cope with rising energy prices.

Perlmutter noted that the bill “proves it is easy to be green. This bill helps revitalize our economy by making energy efficiency practices more affordable, accessible, and achievable by consumers, businesses, and government entities.”

Paul Mendelsohn, the AIA’s vice president of Government and Community Relations, hailed the work of Perlmutter and the Financial Services Committee for their comprehensive approach. “This legislation will promote energy efficiency at many different levels of the economy and ensure that all stakeholders in the housing sector—architects, builders, brokers, appraisers, lenders, secondary lenders like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and of course homeowners and renters—play a role in greening homes, a long-standing goal of the AIA.”

To learn more about the bill, contact the AIA government relations team.