skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Advocates: Updated Building Codes Would Save Hoosiers $

play audio
Play

Tuesday, November 14, 2017   

INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana came in pretty low this year on a state scorecard for energy efficiency, and advocates of improving that ranking say consumers are missing out on savings.

They contend the Hoosier State is using outdated building compliance codes, and that modernizing them will help the environment and reduce utility bills. The Indiana Fire Prevention and Building Safety Committee is meeting this week to consider updating those codes.

Monica Cannaley, energy-efficiency organizer for the Sierra Club's Hoosier Chapter, says the national codes are updated every three years, and states are encouraged to update theirs as well, but Indiana is using codes from 2009. The Hoosier State was ranked 40th for energy efficiency by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.

"We are behind Michigan (and) Illinois," she notes. "So when it comes to attracting jobs, attracting homeowners, we are behind when it comes to our requirements for new construction."

Cannaley says updated codes help the clean-energy sector. Indiana leads the Midwest in clean-energy job growth, with nearly 48,000 people employed in the industry currently. Clean-energy jobs grew more than five times faster than the overall job market in Indiana between 2015 and 2016, most of it coming from the solar industry.

Cannaley says having outdated codes costs people money, adding that if the 2015 regulations were adopted, a future homeowner or renter could expect to reduce energy-use costs by 21 percent and save more than $400 per year on energy bills.

"We've got people struggling to pay utility bills, and if we can have our new housing stock achieve higher energy efficiency, that benefits homeowners through the life of the home," she explains.

Keeping buildings up to code also helps keep people safe. Cannaley says the energy code affects moisture management, which includes rot, mold, and mildew, indoor air quality, fire safety, extreme weather protection and resiliency of home and buildings. It works in tandem with the other model building codes to ensure safe buildings.

A report about Indiana’s energy efficiency programs can be found here.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week about the popular abortion pill Mifepristone and will weigh in on whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was correct in how it can be dosed and prescribed. (Ascannio/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Missouri residents are worried about future access to birth control. The latest survey from The Right Time, an initiative based in Missouri…


Social Issues

play sound

Wisconsin children from low-income families are now on track to get nutritious foods over the summer. Federal officials have approved the Badger …

Social Issues

play sound

Almost 2,900 people are unsheltered on any given night in the Beehive State. Gov. Spencer Cox is celebrating signing nine bills he says are geared …


The U.S. teaching workforce remains primarily white while the percentage of Black teachers has declined. However, the percentage of Asian and Latinx teachers is rising.(WavebreakMediaMicro/Adobestock)

Social Issues

play sound

Education advocates are calling on lawmakers to increase funding for programs to combat the teacher shortage. Around 37% of schools nationwide …

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …

Many factors affect a customer's bill amount, including energy usage, weather, and the number of days in a billing period, according to Arizona Public Service. (Jason Yoder/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021