> I think a key issue is that generally the person designing a house isn't the same person who will be paying the energy bills in 30 years time.
Those who build homes must typically be planning on staying at least a few years in them though, say 10? Insulation is pretty cheap compared to running an AC in a poorly insulated home. Also it's not just a cost issue, it's more about comfort. Sleeping in a cool space without an AC blasting is worth something too.
The person designing the building codes though is the person responsible for the energy use and supply of the country, it's CO2 emissions and so on. So slowly getting more efficient building codes seems like it should be universal.
Those who build homes must typically be planning on staying at least a few years in them though, say 10? Insulation is pretty cheap compared to running an AC in a poorly insulated home. Also it's not just a cost issue, it's more about comfort. Sleeping in a cool space without an AC blasting is worth something too.
The person designing the building codes though is the person responsible for the energy use and supply of the country, it's CO2 emissions and so on. So slowly getting more efficient building codes seems like it should be universal.