Building Energy Standards

Much of the information presented in this summary is drawn from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Building Energy Codes Program and the Building Codes Assistance Project (BCAP). For more detailed information about building energy codes, visit the DOE and BCAP websites. On September 17, 2025, Governor Phil Scott signed Executive Order 06-25, which aims to promote housing construction and rehabilitation and address Vermont’s severe housing shortage. The order addresses regulatory barriers and permitting requirements, energy code standards, and permitting costs associated with housing projects. The Executive Order (EO) reinstates the 2020 Building Code Energy Standards for residential and commercial buildings. The EO states, "All persons commencing building construction projects on July 1, 2024 or after shall have the option of complying with the 2020 Vermont Residential Building Energy Standards (RBES), [2020] Commercial Building Energy Standards (CBES), including the 2020 Stretch Code, or the 2024 RBES and CBES."Information on residential building standards is available here. Information on commercial building standards is available here.