Dive summary:

• Lawrence, Kan., is almost two months into a code change that makes it unusual among cities in the Midwest and that gives builders an incentive to button up homes for energy efficiency before they are ever sold.
• Lawrence picked up a part of the 2012 International Building Code that requires scoring homes for efficiency based on their design and materials, and the Lawrence version requires an inspector to check out the home before walls are closed in and details hidden.
• The score of each house—which as of July 1 requires new homes to score 80 or below on a 100-point scale—gets posted on the electrical box, and the standard drops to a lower (more efficient) score each year.

From the article:

"You're really going to see builders take a lot more time and effort to seal up their houses," [local builder Neal] Ezell said.