Amid efforts to reduce carbon emissions, Tony Evers' administration eyes Wisconsin building codes

In the story of climate change, smokestacks and tailpipes are the stock villains, spewing carbon dioxide into the air.

Often overlooked are homes, offices and other buildings — which require electricity and natural gas to heat, cool and light — that account for nearly a third of all energy consumption and an even larger share of heat-trapping gases.

With new technologies it’s now possible to build structures that require far less energy — and in some cases, no fossil fuels — to operate, but building codes, which establish minimum standards, have yet to catch up, especially in states like Wisconsin where many of the energy efficiency standards are nearly a decade behind the newest model codes.

Now, Gov. Tony Evers’ administration has begun a review of those codes, which the governor’s climate change task force identified as one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce the state’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Read more: https://madison.com/wsj/news/local/environment/amid-efforts-to-reduce-carbon-emissions-tony-evers-administration-eyes-wisconsin-building-codes/article_636280ac-51cf-5970-b355-173a943bb934.html