A regional trade group is imploring Naperville decision-makers to consider the depth of energy-related code requirements in the future. They caution more stringent provisions could cause home construction costs to rise and further challenge the affordability of homes within the community.
But publications from area energy conservation groups indicate the codes could yield long-term savings to an average homeowner.
A discussion revolving around stretch energy codes occurred at a Tuesday, Feb. 3, city council meeting. The council had a first, or preliminary, reading of ordinance amendments to building code and building regulation passages within the Naperville Municipal Code.
Stretch energy code possibility under the microscope
Local professionals with the Northern Illinois Home Builders Association, an Aurora-based trade organization, implored the council not to adopt a concept known as the stretch energy code, which is a state-based, voluntary list of performance considerations.
The city’s current building code and building regulation amendments under review do not directly address the stretch energy code provisions, though Kimberly Schmidt, deputy director of Naperville’s transportation, engineering, and development (TED) department, did address the concept in a memo to the council.
Pointing to the energy conservation code within the city’s broader municipal code, Schmidt noted the city is required under state law to adopt, at a minimum, the 2024 Illinois Energy Conservation Code (IECC), which occurred in November and is not a part of the latest set of revisions.
“Municipalities have the option to adopt the state of Illinois stretch energy code in lieu of the currently adopted IECC,” Schmidt wrote. “Staff recommends the city conduct an evaluation to compare the 2024 IECC and the 2026 stretch energy code and bring back a recommendation to the city council in the future.”
The city’s current ordinance amendments on the review docket touch on a range of issues, including new requirements for fire prevention, plumbing, property maintenance, among others.
A look into Illinois’ stretch energy code
Stretch energy codes in Illinois are borne out of the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) and are updated periodically. As noted on the Illinois Capital Development Board’s website, the components of the 2026 stretch energy code are in the process of being developed.
According to the board, the code is a tool municipalities can use “to achieve more energy efficiency in buildings than the Illinois Energy Conservation Code through a consistent pathway across the state.”
Organizations such as the Illinois Green Alliance have stated stretch energy code implementation could “lead to significant consumer savings and greenhouse gas reductions.” The alliance’s policy blueprint on energy stretch code adoption, for instance, indicates $250 in annual utility savings to an average homeowner and a decade-long return on investment for upgrades. The Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance also touted the long-term savings energy stretch code implementation can have for homeowners. A blog post written last year in reference to the City of Evanston’s adoption of energy stretch codes states homes built to the code can achieve an average of 9.6% in annual utility bill savings.
Association members weigh in at city council meeting
But members of the local homebuilding community gave a different take on energy stretch codes at the recent council meeting.
Dan Jurjovec, a Naperville resident who heads up Lakewest Custom Homes, described full-scale adoption of the stretch energy code as “cost-prohibitive” in relation to “any benefit this code would end up providing.”
A deeper analysis, Jurjovec said, also raised questions.
“A group of my colleagues and I came to a building review board meeting (in Naperville) in October and were able to listen to a stretch code presentation,” he said at the recent council meeting. “It was suggested, during that presentation, that the typical cost increase on a house would be around $3,000.”
Jurjovec added, “My colleagues and I have done actual analysis on real projects with actual energy raters, and our findings are quite different, with tens of thousands of dollars, with very negligible energy savings in return.”
Court Airhart, president of Airhart Construction, is a second-generation family member of the firm, which serves the western suburbs of Chicago. He, too, shared concerns about the stretch energy code.
“The current energy code is extremely stringent; it’s extremely solid,” Airhart said. “It is extremely energy efficient. Homes built today, under the current code, are 50% more efficient than the homes that were built in 1975.”
Naperville resident Chad Mease, president of Redstart Construction, also spoke to the council with concerns about the proposal. Mease said the code, if implemented, would result in higher-priced new construction materials, as well as more costly mechanical systems.
“We support energy efficiency,” Mease said. “Everyone wants lower utility bills, better buildings, affordable housing, responsible construction, which we feel we do already.”
Council weighs in on homebuilders’ concerns
Councilman Ian Holzhauer said he believes a deeper dive into the stretch energy code and its impact is warranted as 2026 progresses.
“I, for one, just would like to learn more about this and again what the cost-benefit of some of these things is,” Holzhauer said. “I think it merits a look from an unbiased source.”
After asking questions of the local homebuilders, Councilman Nate Wilson said he viewed full adoption of the stretch energy code as having a ripple effect in the community.
“This would increase the price by forcibly enforcing an artificial number, I guess you could say, in the market,” Wilson said.
As for the ordinance amendments on the table, Mayor Scott Wehrli indicated they will be back on the council agenda later this month.
“This was the first reading tonight,” Wehrli said of the Feb. 3 discussion. “This will come back at our Feb. 17th city council meeting, and it will be an agenda item there.”
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