Will these checks really save money?

If these types of checks really saved money in the long run, why would they have to be mandated? Wouldn't it pay for people to hire their own inspector? Wouldn't builders offer it? Wouldn't inspectors spring up to offer these services for a fee? Of course, the New York Times fails to understand this simple economics.

AUSTIN, Tex. — Peering behind a bathtub in a newly built house, an inspector, John Umphress, spotted a big gap in the wall insulation. “Somebody took a lunch break!” he complained to the builder, who sheepishly agreed to patch the hole.

With the fix, the house, already a model of energy efficiency, will use even less energy and save its residents money — for decades.

But that small catch would not have been made in many American towns. Mr. Umphress is a particular kind of inspector, an energy auditor, and Austin, with one of the toughest building codes in the country, requires an energy inspection before a building can be occupied. . . .