The federal legislation requires that any property owner - residential or commercial - who pulls county permits for any project on their property must obtain an energy efficiently audit in order to receive their permit. The mandate was broad enough that if you want to put on a deck on your home, you would have to have a full house energy audit in order to pull permits to build that deck.

Homes or commercial buildings for sale, whether public or private, would be required to have energy efficiency audits and to publish the efficiency rating they received before they listed their home or property for sale.

New construction woud be required to meet tough energy efficiency standards and to make the efficiency rating for the building they construct available to the public.

States and municipalities would be required to meet energy efficiency targets for every structure in the state - whether private or government owned.

I don’t believe this legislation has passed the Congress. The President has mandated that all federal facilities and operations be audited for energy efficiency and meet new standards, but, I believe the federal legislation mandating audits and minimum acceptable standards for private residences and commercial buildings in the US hasn’t passed, yet. Unfortunately many states have jumped on the bandwagon and been effecting virtually the same legislation for property in their states - even privately owned property.

I don’t think the General Assembly has effected such legislation for buildings in the state nor expanded any executive mandates to privately owned property. It seems the Loudoun supervisor has recognized that passing such broad legislation at the state level is unlikely with Republicans in control, so she’s attempting to circumvent that roadblock by implementing energy efficiency mandates at the local level as part of the zoning and permitting regulatory process.

Here’s an article from the DC Examiner that discusses the federal legislation.

http://www.examiner.com/x-14613-Kansas-City-Headlines-Examiner~y2009m7d1-Clean-Energy-and-Security-Act-brings-auditors-into-your-home

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2401428/post

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2401111/posts

Climate Justice : Pay up or prepare to be flooded

The purpose of the Climate hoax. Redistribution of wealth.

Going Green was always about ….$$$$$$….Getting the Green.