Updated energy codes are critical to ensuring that all new construction homes or renovations are built to be efficient, comfortable, and safe. The conversation, however, gets more complicated when examining how energy codes, or a lack thereof, affect underserved populations.

When people bring up Bigfoot, they often cite evidence that lacks credibility. Even with the lack of tangible, physical proof of Big Foot’s existence, people are still willing to embrace the beast as fact. This is how myths persist. The folklore of Bigfoot has not ceased in recent years, and the same false narratives continue to be passed around the internet.

Myths exist in every facet of our lives. From cryptid creatures...

This post is a collaboration between two of our High Performance Buildings & Communities program staff, Darren Port and Christina Rohrbacher.

From the invention of the electrostatic generator (1747) to the discovery of oil (1856), Pennsylvania has a long list of firsts in the realm of energy. Now for the first time in nearly a decade, PA is ringing in the advent of a new statewide energy code.

Recently the Pennsylvania state legislature passed HB 409, which updates Pennsylvania's broken code adoption process. Unfortunately, the new process is still less than ideal to adopt codes that are the bare legal minimum with which a designer or builder need to comply.

This is the 2016 installment of this series. Click here for our previous update.