This article was originally published in the March/April 1996
issue of Home Energy Magazine. Some formatting inconsistencies
may be evident in older archive content. | Back to Contents Page
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Online March/April 1996 Figure 1. Locations using the model
energy code. Whether a state has adopted it or not, the MEC
applies to houses financed through the Federal Housing
Administration (FHA), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA),
and the Rural Economic and Community Development (RECD, formerly
Farmers' Home Administration). Loans received from or guaranteed
by these agencies require that the financed house comply with
the MEC. In a speculative housing development, some builders may
choose to build all homes to at least MEC levels to preserve the
option of getting financing from any of these sources. Since the
energy crisis of the 1970s, many states have developed their own
energy codes (examples include New York, Washington, Oregon,
California, and Flor