U.S. Representative August Pfluger (R) recently raised serious concerns about how the Biden-era energy efficiency regulations are increasing housing costs and threatening reliability during a committee hearing.
As a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Pfluger questioned witnesses on how Department of Energy (DOE) rules are affecting homeowners, the housing market, and national infrastructure.
Pfluger questioned Jim Steffes, Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs at Washington Gas, regarding the risks associated with requiring federal buildings to eliminate natural gas.
"What risks do you see if Section 433 forces those facilities to abandon natural gas in favor of an all-electric mandate?" he asked.
Steffes responded that there are "a few risks," emphasizing that "energy security in multiple redundant networks to deliver energy is critical."
"I see a risk in national security and our ability to continue to operate when storms come through, when matters are critical to citizens are dealt with," said Steffes. "I also see a fundamental question and challenge around affordability."
He went on to highlight that federal buildings will end up spending more money than they could otherwise use on "a different technology and solution."
When addressing housing costs, Pfluger turned to Buddy Hughes, Chairman of the National Association of Home Builders. Hughes testified that the forced electrification could raise construction costs by up to 40%.
"It's going to drive up the costs as we have to change appliances to meet those regulations. The cost of the appliance and its installation, it's all about cost," said Hughes. "The best plan in the world isn't worth anything if the homeowner, if the home buyer, can't afford it."
Pfluger concluded by questioning Ben Lieberman, Senior Fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, about the financial burden on first-time homebuyers. Lieberman noted that new and existing homeowners alike face rising appliance costs and that "almost every room in the house has something that's going up in price, and it adds up."
