Vermont legislation · 2025-2026 Session
Vermont H718: An act relating to building energy efficiency
Status: Passed one chamber, March 27, 2026
What the bill says
An act relating to building energy efficiency It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont: * * * Findings * * *.
From the engrossed text, March 25, 2026:
An act relating to building energy efficiency It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont: * * * Findings * * * Sec. 1. FINDINGS The General Assembly finds that: BILLAS PASSED BY THE HOUSE H.718 2026 Page 2 of (1) Recommendations by stakeholders and building efficiency experts in the 2023 Building Energy Code Study Committee and the 2024 and 2025 Building Energy Code Working Group consistently find that Vermont's mandatory energy codes, the Residential Building Energy Standards (RBES) and the Commercial Building Energy Standards (CBES), are a subset of building construction codes and should eventually be administered by the Division of Fire Safety, which administers all other building codes. (2) Vermont has not adopted a residential building construction code, which means there is no administrative infrastructure or enforcement mechanism for implementing energy codes consistently and effectively. Lack of a residential building code also means Vermont lacks a standard-of-care reference for the public, builders, designers, insurance companies, or the courts, and such lack also may limit the State's ability to access certain federal funding. (3) Lack of consistent and effective implementation and enforcement of the RBES in particular has resulted in low compliance rates, according to studies by the Department of Public Service. (4) Recommendations of the 2024 and 2025 Working Group include leveraging the …
Sponsors
- Scott Campbell (D, Caledonia-Essex) · primary sponsor
Latest actions
- : Read 1st time & referred to Committee on [Natural Resources and Energy]
- : Read third time and passed
- : Action Calendar: Third Reading
- : Third Reading ordered
- : Which was agreed to on a Roll Call [Passed -- Needed 71 of 141 to Pass -- Yeas = 83, Nays = 58]
- : Report of Committee on [Energy and Digital Infrastructure], as amended, agreed to
- : Rep. [Higley of Lowell] demanded yeas and nays
- : Report of Committee on [Energy and Digital Infrastructure] amended as recommended by Committee on [Appropriations]
- : Rep. [Kascenska of Burke] recommended for the Committee on [Appropriations]
- : Rep. [Campbell of St. Johnsbury] reported for the Committee on [Energy and Digital Infrastructure]
Votes
- Which was agreed to on a Roll Call [Passed -- Needed 71 of 141 to Pass -- Yeas = 83, Nays = 58] (March 24, 2026): 83 yea, 58 nay, passed
Common questions
- What is H718?
- H718 is a bill in the Vermont Legislature (2025-2026 Session): An act relating to building energy efficiency.
- What does H718 do?
- In its own words: An act relating to building energy efficiency It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont: * * * Findings * * *.
- What is the status of H718?
- Passed one chamber as of March 27, 2026. Latest action: Read 1st time & referred to Committee on [Natural Resources and Energy] (March 27, 2026).
- Who sponsored H718?
- Scott Campbell (D, Caledonia-Essex).
- Where is the official record for H718?
- On the Vermont Legislature website: https://legislature.vermont.gov/bill/status/2026/H.718
Source: official Vermont record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.