Upgrading new homes in Virginia to the 2012 IECC will reduce out-of-pocket expenses for homeowners – paying o ff their initial investment in a matter of months. For the average new home, the 2012 IECC will only increase construction costs by $2,197. When this amount is rolled into the average mortgage, real costs to homebuyers will mean a down payment increase of only $440, and $8 extra on monthly mortgage bills. The added mortgage costs will be off set by monthly energy savings of $30.67, helping homebuyers pay o ff their initial investment in only 20 months. After breaking even during that time, the home will return buyers a profit of at least $22 per month – for a total return of $267 every year.