Energy Company Executive Speaks Out Against Enforced Building Energy Efficiency Regulations in Kansas City
In a hearing before the House Energy and Commerce Energy Subcommittee on September 17, 2025, Brian Tebbenkamp, President of Patriot Homes Inc., called for the repeal of energy code mandates that have significantly impacted home building in Kansas City.
Tebbenkamp testified in support of the Home Owner Energy Freedom Act, a bill introduced by Rep. Craig Goldman (R-Texas), which aims to repeal Section 50131 of the Inflation Reduction Act. This section allocated $1 billion to incentivize the adoption of the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) and ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2019.
When the new code took effect in October 2023, home building in Kansas City nearly stopped for over three months. The average number of builders active in the city dropped from 98 in 2023 to just 22 in 2024, representing a 78% decline.
Tebbenkamp provided a stark example of a Kansas City homeowner who saved more than $2,500 a year due to a previous HERS rating, but had to spend an additional $10,300 to comply with the new 2021 IECC for a minimal energy savings increase of just $2 a year.
The city did not issue one new single-family permit under the new code for over three months. Tebbenkamp emphasized that inflexible energy codes can increase construction costs and deter new home construction.
The Home Builders Association of Greater Kansas City (KCHBA) also voiced their concern, calling on Congress to oppose energy code mandates. The KCHBA argued that the current energy policy distorts local decision-making, driving up costs, reducing housing production, and delivering little in the way of actual energy savings.
Adoption of the 2021 IECC and ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2019 forces state and local governments into a single, costly edition of the code, which was supposed to be adaptable to local circumstances. However, it is now being enforced without adaptation.
Tebbenkamp urged Congress to pass the Home Owner Energy Freedom Act to help build more homes, not fewer, in order to create safe, strong, and efficient homes. The hearing, entitled "Appliance and Building Policies: Restoring the American Dream of Home Ownership and Consumer Choice", was chaired by Republicans, with members including Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO), and other E&C Republicans and Democrats. However, individual votes or positions on the bill were not specified in the available material.
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