>I lived in California and I was appalled at the monstrous energy waste: houses are generally made pretty much from cardboard. You need to cool them in summerti

>I lived in California and I was appalled at the monstrous energy waste: houses are generally made pretty much from cardboard. You need to cool them in summertime and heat them in wintertime, This is the legacy of historical low energy prices coupled with a historically mild climate. Now, both of those things are changing. Energy prices are rising because of global warming accelerated risks, and simultaneously the climate is getting hotter and dryer. The result is that it can start making sense to build to a higher standard like passive house in CA - I just did and my HVAC energy usage dropped 75% and is now more comfortable. However, there needs to be better code enforcement - i.e. air leakage for new homes should be closer to 2.0 ACH50, not the totally unenforced 5.0 ACH50 on the books today - and also better education of buyers so they can start demanding better built and more efficient homes.